Light Bulb
Myths & Facts
Illuminating Your
Light Bulb Options
Myth: Incandescent bulbs are now illegal.
Fact: Incandescent bulbs are both legal and
widely available, and will be for years to come.
In fact, new EISA compliant incandescent
bulbs are at least 27% more energy efficient
than the old-fashioned variety.
Myth: CFL bulbs are too dim.
Fact: Think Lumens (brightness), not Watts. If a
16 Watt CFL is too dim, try a 20, 23 or 30 Watt.
75% more energy efficient than old-fashioned
incandescents, CFLs are more cost effective
and last 8 to 12 times longer.
Warm/Soft White
2700Ko
Cool/Bright White
3000Ko 3500Ko
Natural/Daylight
4100Ko 5000Ko
6500Ko
September 2013
Getting Il-lumen-ated:
Think Lumens, not Watts.
Answer: one or two.
In 2007, with broad bipartisan support, Congress
passed the Energy Independence and Security Act
(EISA), signed into law by George W. Bush. The
law’s intent is to increase our nation’s energy
independence.
Among its many energy-saving mandates, EISA
requires gradually phasing-in higher efficiency
standards for light bulbs. General use bulbs that
historically used 40 - 100 Watts, must be 27%
more energy efficient by 2014, and 60% - 70%
more efficient by 2020. While Congress withdrew funding for enforcing EISA in late 2011, U.S.
manufacturers had already closed or retooled
their incandescent bulb plants to produce more
energy efficient bulbs.
Myth: LED’s are the best bulbs available.
Fact: LEDs are still in the developmental stage
and are not yet as cost effective as CFLs. Manufacturers are currently working on issues like
color quality, heat dissipation, incompatibility
with dimmer switches, pulsing and dimming
with age, building production infrastructure,
reducing arsenic and lead content, etc..
Myth: All CFLs create ugly blue light.
Fact: CFLs are available in a variety of hues
called, color temperatures, measured in degrees
Kelvin (Ko). All light bulbs with lower Kelvin
temperatures have warmer tones, while bulbs
with higher Kelvin temperatures appear cooler.
Simply select CFLs with the color temperatures
that meet your needs.
How Many Laws
Does It Take
to Change
a Light Bulb?
www.clallampud.net
Most of us were taught to equate a light bulb’s
brightness with its wattage. However, scientists and
engineers have long been using the Lumen as their
unit of measure for brightness.
More Lumens = more light.
The past 30 years
of advances in light
bulb technology have
produced 23-Watt
bulbs that are brighter than old-fashioned
75-Watt incandescents. It’s clear that
a shift in thinking
and terminology is
overdue.It’s time to
think, Lumens, just
as lighting pros have
for decades.
Look for Lumens and compare.
ENERGY STAR®, the federal agency that certifies and promotes energy efficient products,
requires bulbs with their logo to list lumens.
In the Lumens table below, you can see how CFL,
LED and new Halogen Incandescent bulbs have
more lumens, i.e., are brighter, Watt-for-Watt, than
old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.
Old-standard
New Standard
Effective Date
100 Watts
72 Watts or less
January 1, 2012
75 Watts
53 Watts or less
January 1, 2013
60 Watts
43 Watts or less
January 1, 2014
Lumens
800 1100 1600 2600
40 Watts
29 Watts or less
January 1, 2014
Old-fashioned Incandescents
60W
75W
100W 150W
Halogen Incandescents (HIs):
energy savings up to 28%
43W
53W
72W
105W
Compact Fluorescents (CFLs):
14W
energy savings up to 75%
18W
23W
36W
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs):
energy savings up to 85%
14W
18W
N/A
Washington voters passed I-937 (Energy Independence Act) in 2006, requiring large utilities to
meet ambitious energy savings targets. Clallam
County PUD identified mass distributions of
energy-saving CFL bulbs as the most cost-effective means of tackling the targets.
Dimmer
12W
Brighter
Light Bulb Options
for 2012 & Beyond...
Halogen Incandescents
Compact Fluorescents
Light Emitting Diodes
U.S. manufactures have retooled or closed
plants that once made old-fashioned
incandescents. Here are a few alternatives
for general use.
Halogen Incandescents (HIs)
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Compact Fluorescents (CFLs)
HIs look like the bulbs Grandma grew up with, but
through the use of halogen gas, last up to four
times longer, while using 27% less energy.
Good: 20 years of using (1) 50W HI bulb 6 hrs/day,
would require (10) bulbs, for a total of $164.72.
These bulbs create light by passing electricity
through a semi-conductor chip. Today’s pricey LEDs
are as energy efficient as CFLs. Widely regarded as the
next big thing, LED’ technology is still in development.
Better: 20 years of using (1) 12W LED bulb 6 hrs/day,
would require (1) bulb, for a total of $59.73.
The high-tech descendants of 75 year old fluorescent tube technology, Energy Star CFLs are four
times brighter Watt-for-Watt than old-fashioned
incandescents and last 10 - 12 times longer.
Best: 20 years of using (1) 15W CFL 6 hrs/day,
would require (2) bulbs, for a total of $53.42.
Energy Saved Compared to
Old-Fashioned Incandescents?
27% or more
75% - 80%, some more
75%
Longevity? (hours and years of use per bulb)
1,000 - 3,000 hours, or 1 - 3 years
18,000 - 22,000, or 18 - 22 years; dims with age
8,000 - 12,000 hours, or 8 - 12 years
Heat Generation Issues?
Significant radiant heat
Some conductive heat
Some radiant heat
Work Well in Enclosed Fixtures?
Yes
Some, yes
Some, yes.
Affected by Environmental Conditions?
Yes, excessive vibrations
Yes, high temperatures
Yes, high temperatures, humidity and vibrations
Available in a Variety of Tones?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Show Colors as They Should Appear?
Yes, very well
Pastels and reds may not appear true to life
Some, yes
Dimmable?
Yes, dims smoothly, while warming in tone
Dims smoothly, but doesn’t warm in tone
Some. Dims in steps, but doesn’t warm in tone
Bulb Toxicity Issues?
Lead may be found in bulbs made overseas
May contain minute amounts of arsenic and lead;
varies with bulb color and manufacturer
Contain minute amounts of mercury -- less than
might be found in a tuna steak
Brief Description of Bulb Type
Please refer to bulb packaging for guidelines on
proper use, placement and disposal.
Overall Cost Effectiveness?
(Bulb + power costs for 800 Lumen/60W equivalent bulbs)
www.clallampud.net
Least Co$t Effective
Most Co $t Effective