When you purchase a new house or reconstruct the house, the first question that arises in mind is which type of bulb should be used? Gone are the days when bulbs and tube lights were just used to have enough light in the house. Now, there are different kinds of bulbs emitting different colour of lights. Lights in the house are expected to enhance the ‘look and feel’ of the house. Other factors can play a role when choosing a bulb. Some of the prominent factors are as follows:
1. Type of bulb – Basically, there are three types of bulbs which are used most often in our day-to-day lives. They are the CFL (Compact Fluorescent lamp), Halogens and LEDs (Light Emitting Diode). LED is the best out there right now. They have the best energy consumption as well as the length of life.
2. Color temperature – Many people don’t understand the Kelvin scale. That’s the color temperature of the light. Some people know they want bright white because they feel they can see better or think they want warm white because the bright light “hurts” their eyes. The truth is interior decorators will tell you that you want warm white in living areas and bright white in work areas. With warm light you must add more lights to see well and with bright light you can have fewer lights to meet your lighting needs. LED light bulbs come in a full range of color temperatures. Different areas of the house require a different kind of bulbs. An office and kitchen will require bulbs which have bright light. Other areas of the house like a bedroom and living room should have bulbs with that are warmer in color with a lower level of brightness.
3. Cost – Cost-wise LED’s are cheaper as compared to CFL and Halogens. The cost of bulbs differ from the wattage. But when we consider the longevity factor of the bulb, the price of LED bulbs is quite low as compared to other bulbs. An LED bulb can last anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 hours. This is longer than any other kind of bulb which are available in the market.
4. Life Expectancy – All bulbs have a different kind of life expectancy. LED bulbs have a better life expectancy as compared to CFL, Halogen and Incandescent bulbs. Typically, bulbs have the life expectancy on the back side of it or the packaging. You need to check it.
5. Mercury level in the bulb – Mercury is a dangerous element for the human body. The Mercury level in bulbs should be checked when purchasing it. If it is high, then it should be disposed of carefully.
6. Colour Rendering Index (CRI) – CRI reflects the true colors of different objects. How well you see the accurate red color in apples or green color in Pears. Incandescent bulbs and Halogen have higher CRI above 90 whereas LED’s have CRI in the 80’s range. So after evaluating all pros and cons, you can select the bulb.
7. Fixtures – Once you decide the technicalities of the bulb, you need to decide on how you are going to select those bulbs. Some of the bulbs can be directly mounted on the ceiling. If you want to enhance the look of your house, then you can use recessed lights. They look attractive and can be placed in most rooms of your home. You can also use Pendant lights and chandeliers to make your living room, entry or dining area look more attractive. If you have a habit of reading at night before sleeping, then you can put a table lamp beside the bed.
8. Brand – Finally, you should always go for a brand which has got an excellent reputation in the market. Some popular brand also gives a warranty on their products.
Energy Efficient Bulbs
The easiest and most cost-effective investment for homeowners is to replace your homes traditional incandescent bulbs with energy efficient bulbs. Here is an amazing statistic. If you just replace the five most frequently used lights with energy efficient bulbs, you can save at least $75 each year.
Energy Efficient bulbs like halogen, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have the following advantages:
- Typically use between 25%-80% less energy than traditional incandescents
- Will last 3-25 times longer.
- The electricity used by an incandescent bulb over its lifetime costs 5 to 10 times the original purchase price of the bulb itself.
- According to the US Department of energy, the adoption of LED bulbs has saved hundreds of millions of tons of greenhouse gases.
The initial price is more than traditional incandescents (but dropping fast), the energy efficient bulbs make up for your investment by costing less to operate. The savings over the life of the bulb far exceeds your initial extra cost. This combined with the longevity of the bulbs make your choice a no-brainer. Redhawk Murrieta Electricians are the electrician near me.
