energy saving light bulbs?

hasnain721

Hi,

I've currently got normal bulbs in the reception and was thinking of switching to energy saving ones. Now since there are so many out there, i just dont know which ones to get.

What i'm looking for is something (cheap!) that has about 1500 lumens of brightness and is equivalent of a 60W bulb .


Cheers!

LightPlanet

A 60w incandescent bulb emits about 10 lumens per watt, so will only produce 600 lumens. High quality CFL bulbs supposedly emit about 50 lumens per watt, so to equal a 60w incandescent you would need a 12w bulb - although some studies have shown that the true efficiency levels of these bulbs are closer to 45 lumens per watt. LED light bulbs at 7w can produce 560 lumens and are improving rapidly.
None of these solutions reach the 1000 plus lumens that you mentioned.

Ben84

I don't know about lumens, but if you're looking for well priced bulbs to replace 60w incandescents I'd recommend philips 11w Genie bulbs, because they come on instantly and bright, have good light and the packaging is recyclable card. They're currently 79p in sainsburys.

amcluesent

> i just dont know which ones to get.<

None, unless you want headaches, skin rashes, peering into the gloom and mercury poisoning if they break.

Mankysteve

We've got all energy light saving fitting and none of us have headaches,skin rashes or mercury poisoning, In fact i used to work in a certain well know DIY outlet and used to clean the bulbs up Iam still ok. To get enough mercury to poison your self you'd have to jumping around in a skip full of them. The plastic in your cloths bedding, electrical equipment food containers will give you much higher exposure to nastiness. I've never seen a peer reviewed research on any these claims about CCFs.

How about the car fumes you breath in everyday or the the nasty dioxins that come out of coal and oil fired power station.

pvpbryan

Hello Hasnain,

I wrote an about saving associated with energy efficient lighting. The savings are quite significant when taken over the life of a light bulb (the more bulbs replaced, the greater the savings). I am surprised landlords of some buildings in my area are sticking with incandescent bulbs (they are good if you want the light to turn on immediately, say in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom). I could estimate your savings pending on the new bulbs you get and the quantity compared to your older bulbs if you would like.

Mankysteve

I quite like the fact they take a few seconds to warm up when nipping to the loo at night means one is not blinded.

Mrs_Thrify

Hiya, I use the energy saving bulbs all over the house. I got them Free as freebies come and go... The bulbs do take a few seconds to warm up but that is no hardship. Go for it and save a few pennies...

Ben84

amcluesent wrote: »

> i just dont know which ones to get.<

None, unless you want headaches, skin rashes, peering into the gloom and mercury poisoning if they break.

I'm pretty sure these are all myths. The energy savers are ordinary fluorescent light tubes, exactly the same as the ones that have been used in vast numbers in offices, shops and factories all over the world since the 1950s.

As far as I'm aware two of the conditions you're suggesting, mercury poisoning and skin rashes from using these products have no reported cases. There really isn't enough mercury in a light bulb to poison anyone. You should see the quantities we used to use in open experiments in undergrad teaching labs not so long ago and compare it to the little ball in your light bulb that could sit on the tip of a ballpoint pen, as well as compare it to the amount used routinely in dental fillings. The skin rash concerns (possible concerns, not cases) only applied to people with exceptionally rare skin disorders anyway.

LightPlanet

There is plenty of mercury in a compact fluorescent light bulb. If you take US standards, then one CFL bulb contains enough Mercury to pollute 6000 gallons of water to an undrinkable level. They're fine while the Mercury stays inside, but once it gets into the water supply, it is a major problem.
LED lights are the way forward. They are instant-on, more efficient than CFL, create a nicer light, last longer and don't contain nasties.

w.dws

I've been using energy saving lightbulbs since 1999, i've only had to replace a couple during that time and have never had one smash or break causing me mercury poisoning in all that time. My original bulbs were ikea own brand ones and any replacements have been with the Phillips ones which are usually 2 for 99p in morrisons. Estimate they have saved me a fortune over using traditional incandescent light bulbs.