Why am I blogging about lightbulbs? Who knows?? Who cares about lightbulbs??? Excuse me, do you not have any lightbulbs in your house??? I rest my case! Ha! Ha! Ha! I got you!!!!!
Do you have the incandescent lightbulb, the CFL, or the LED? What are you talking about? Okay, let me tell you about the differences between the 3 lighting. Now, you are an expert in lightbulbs? Not really, but I will try! Someone can correct me if I am not right, okay???
The regular lights we had for a long time is the incandescent light. Did you know that because of user preference and government regulations that GE will no longer make the "A-line" inverted pear shaped lightbulbs? Last September 24, 2010 at 8 pm, 200 GE employees were out of a job. It was the last day for them and the A-line lightbulbs! The only remaining US factory in Winchester, Virginia shut off the switch to make the 100 watt A-line incandescent bulbs! Monterey, Mexico will still make it but the use has been on a decline by 50%! Sure, the GE employees have an advance notice and a good severance package but they were still angry! Who wouldn't if you lost your job forever in the sorry state of economy and unemployment?
CFL or compact fluorescent lamp is supposed to be more efficient, average life 8 and 15 times that of the incandescent which is between 6,000 and 15,000 hours while incandescent lifespan is a mere 750 to 1,000 hours! CFL cost 3 to 10 times more but due to the low energy consumption and extended lifespan, the initial cost can save in electric bills?? Is this true...anyone??? There are 2 types of CFL, which are the tubular type or the spiral type integrated CFL. Did you know that the spiral type was invented by Edward E. Hammer, a GE engineer in 1976 as a response to the 1973 oil crisis? But because of the high cost of manufacturing, GE shelved the idea. The design was eventually leaked and copied by others, and in 1995, spiral lamps manufactured in China were available commercially.
How about LED or light emitting diode? It is a high efficiency lamp that consumes less than a quarter of electricity than incandescent light . It has been around since 1960's but is just beginning to appear in residential homes. LED is more damage resistant and rugged than CFL and incandescent bulbs. LED light do not flicker, but it is very heat sensitive. Excessive heat or inappropriate applications will drammatically reduce light output and lifespan.It does not produce heat like the incandescent bulbs and lasts 50,000 hours. Wow!! That is more efficient! Yes, it is, but quite expensive due to limited production.
CFL is energy efficient but it has a slow start to full brightness than incandescents. It is not as bright, as a result, it is very hard to read with the CFL... very hard on your eyes! It is toxic when it shatters since it contains mercury! Mercury thermometers were banned, so why are the lightbulbs with mercury okay to use??? Does anyone have an answer why the government let the CFL flood the market??? Hmmm... The government suggests a toxic cleanup when bulbs are shattered. CFL's are not supposed to be disposed in regular trash but given to Home Depot for proper disposal. Who, among us will make an extra trip for that alone??? CFL right now is made in China. GE is just now working on CFL and LED! GE missed their chance a long time ago to be the pioneer of CFL's! That is a shame! Maybe GE can invent something without the mercury??? How??? That is for their engineers to figure out!!!! But that is an excellent idea!!!! Good thinking!!! Hope GE can deliver!!!!
Some people do not like CFL's because of the dimness of the light and the mercury content, so they are stacking on the incandescents. Some people think that CFL's do not deliver it's claim of 15,000 lifespan. Personally, We use A CFL in the hallway. The hallway seems to be dim and it does not get any brighter. I do not know the lifespan because we just put it on. Any comments???
Even though the CFL's seem to be expensive, consumers are actually slowly doing what the government is asking to do. By 2012, 100 and 159 watts lightbulbs will be 30 % more energy efficient!
So, which would you prefer, a less energy efficient lightbulb or a lightbulb that has toxic mercury????
Posted by vs at 10/2/2010 12:13 PM | Add Comment
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