BY MEGAN MCKOY-NOE …
High in the Colorado mountains on warm fall nights children and adults can lie back and gaze up at an ink-black sky dotted with countless tiny pinpricks of light. Away from the city’s glow and farm and ranch security lights, those tiny stars are magical. That same sense of magic can also be found in labs across the country as scientists work with their own tiny lights, known as light-emitting diodes. Those highly efficient LEDs have come a long way and are now piercing the dark in more and more places, just like the stars in a night sky. This research is all part of a national effort aimed at redefining household lighting. By law, starting in January 2012, 100-watt incandescent bulbs must become more energy efficient.
Federal mandate
Why is the government shining a light on lighting? The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates we use 13.6 percent of our nation’s energy supply to keep the lights on, and a lot of that power is wasted. If you’ve ever touched a traditional lightbulb when it’s on, you know much of the energy (90 percent) is released as heat. This leaves a lot of room for improvement. To tackle this issue, Congress passed the Energy Information and Security Act of 2007.
Under EISA, by 2014 household lightbulbs using 40 to 100 watts must consume at least 28 percent less energy than traditional incandescents, saving Americans an estimated $6 billion to $10 billion in lighting costs annually. EISA also mandates that lightbulbs become 70 percent more efficient than classic bulbs by 2020. LEDs already exceed this goal.
Look for labels
Such a massive product change means consumers must switch from thinking about lightbulbs in terms of watts (amount of energy used) to lumens (amount of light produced). “Lumens, not watts, tell you how bright alightbulb is, no matter the type of bulb,” explains Amy Hebert of the Federal Trade Commission. “The more lumens, the brighter the light.” The FTC’s new “Lighting Facts” label and shopping guide compares new bulbs being purchased with traditional incandescent lightbulbs based on wattage and equivalent lumens.
Beginning in 2012, labels on lightbulb packages will emphasize a bulb’s brightness in lumens, annual energy cost and expected life span.
Is this a bulb ban?![]](https://www.coloradocountrylife.coop/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/bulbandgirl.jpg)
Contrary to popular belief, EISA does not ban incandescent bulb technology; it requires that bulbs use less energy. “It’s equivalent to standards passed in the 1980s to make refrigerators more energy efficient, and we’re reaping those benefits,” remarks Brian Sloboda of the Cooperative Research Network, a division of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade arm of local electric co-ops. “Refrigerators use less than one-third of the electricity today than they did in the mid-1970s, but consumers can’t tell a difference in how their food is cooled. The premise is, why not do the same for lightbulbs?” EISA halts manufacture of inefficient lightbulbs, but stores will not immediately yank incandescent bulbs from shelves. They’ll be sold until the supply is exhausted.
The improved-efficiency requirements apply only to screw-based lightbulbs. Specialty bulbs for appliances, heavy-duty bulbs, colored lights and three-way bulbs are exempt.
Explore your options
When traditional incandescents are no longer available, residential bulbs will largely fit in three categories: Halogen incandescents: Use 25 percent less energy, last three times longer than regular incandescent bulbs Compact fluorescent lamps: Use 75 percent less energy, last up to 10 times longer LEDs: Use 75-80 percent less energy, last up to 25 times longer “CFL, halogen and LED technologies all offer energy savings, but at different intervals, and all with their own pros and cons,” says Schuellerman. Halogen incandescents are an easy first step in the transition to lightbulb efficiency.
They use a simple capsule of halogen gas around the bulb’s filament. Some are similar in appearance to traditional incandescent bulbs. “Halogen offers a big efficiency advantage over standard incandescent bulbs,” says John Strainic, global product general manager, GE Lighting. “It consumes fewer watts while delivering a precise dimming capability and a bright, crisp light.” The most familiar, most economical option on the market today is the CFL. Its technology operates in the same way as the fluorescent tubes used in offices, schools and stores. Some CFLs can be dimmed. CFLs are generally best used where lights are on for extended periods and full brightness is not immediately necessary, such as family rooms, bedrooms and common areas, says Schuellerman. Like all fluorescent bulbs, each CFL contains a small amount of mercury (one-fifth of the amount contained in a watch battery), and spent CFLs should be recycled.
The final choice is LEDs. Although the technology is still developing, LED lights and some lower-wattage replacement bulbs are available on store shelves. “As they come down in price, home owners will embrace them,” predicts Schuellerman. “Currently, most residential LEDs are used for outdoor lighting where fixtures are left on for extended periods and changing bulbs is not easily done. LEDs are also great for linear applications like under-cabinet lighting, where light sources with thin profiles are needed.” LEDs do have issues.
They’re more expensive than other options: A replacement for a 60-watt incandescent bulb costs between $30 and $60. But costs will fall as manufacturers respond to growing consumer demand.
Can you see a difference?
Some consumers believe more efficient bulbs won’t provide the same warm look and feel as classic bulbs, but Schuellerman disagrees. “Lighting technologies are advancing at such a rate that consumers won’t notice a marked difference in the color of light from different technologies or how that light is dispersed,’ he says. “You also won’t necessarily see a difference in bulb shape. Some consumers don’t like the look of twist-shaped CFLs, for example, so we offer covered CFLs that look just like incandescent bulbs.
We also have an LED bulb that is a replacement for a 40-watt incandescent as well as halogen bulbs that are both housed in incandescent-shaped shells.” The difference will be found on your monthly electric bill. More efficient bulbs use 25–80 percent less energy than traditional incandescents, and last much longer. The U.S. Department of Energy claims each household can save $50 a year by replacing 15 incandescent bulbs. “With these new technologies, home owners will be spending less on electricity bills for lighting and changing fewer bulbs,” says Schuellerman.
To learn about lighting options, visit energysavers.gov/lighting.
For details on the change and shopping tips, visit, ftc.gov/lightbulbs.
Megan McKoy-Noe, CCC, writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Virginia-based service organization for the nation’s electric cooperatives.