Abstract for Light Bulb Efficiency
Project by Nicholas Howe for the 2015 Washington State Science and Engineering Fair
Abstract
There are three main types of light bulbs: Incandescent (General Service), Halogen,
Fluorescent, and Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Each of these types of light bulbs, even of the
same brand and model, can differ quite a bit for many reasons. One of the reasons is that there
are a variety of light bulb manufacturers. Other reasons are different lumens emission, wattage,
voltage, color, heat emission, and type of current. So how do we know which light bulb is the
most efficient for home use considering input energy per hour, output light, heat, and color? The
tests of the different types and wattages of bulbs were energy consumption, rate of heat
production, light intensity, and color harshness. There will be twenty-one different types of light
bulbs of Halogen, Fluorescent, General Service, and LED with a variety of lumen emissions and
wattages. The results of the energy consumption experiments determined that the all the light
bulbs had accurate and consistent wattage labels. Initial tests of the rate of heat production
experiments proved that the Halogen variety produced the most heat, while the LED bulbs
produced the least amount of heat. A cost analysis of each bulb was completed using the
advertised life expectancy of each bulb and its unit price. Two parameters used were that the
bulbs would be used 5 hours per day every day of the year and that the cost of electricity is 11.89
cents per watt. The Incandescent A19 Ecosmart 43 watt bulb costs the least per year to operate
out of the other Incandescent, Halogen, LED, and CFL bulbs at $13.26. This is also half of the
CFL bulbs’ annual operation cost. Therefore, the Incandescent lighting systems are just as
efficient as the newer lighting technology.