Starting in July, the U.S. Department of Energy has new regulations to upgrade old, inefficient, mercury-laden fluorescent light bulbs. About 500 million of the lights, called T12, need to be replaced. The change will save $10 billion a year in energy costs nationwide.
There are at least two kinds of lamps that are more energy efficient than the 80-year-old T12 tubes – T8, developed in the 1980s, and T5, which were produced in the mid-1990s. According to Katrin Mehler, president of the Miami-based company LUXADD, a leading lighting solution provider, upgrading to the T5 light is the best – though not necessarily the easiest – choice.
“The T5 has the best lumen maintenance, and it has an extremely low mercury content. It doesn’t evaporate like in the old tubes,” Mehler says. “But it is shorter in size, and that’s a big problem because it requires a different fixture and changing a fixture is very expensive.”
Mehler says one alternative to having to rip out a fixture and put in a new one is a new T5 fluorescent lighting adapter, recently introduced by LUXADD. The company’s Express T5 Retrofit Kit Series is designed to retrofit old T12 light fixtures to the T5 fixtures without the significant costs of parts and labor to replace the entire fixture. The T5 saves up to 73 percent on lighting energy costs and reduces a company’s carbon footprint by up to 60 percent. And because the T5 tubes don’t produce the same amount of heat as the old T12 bulbs, businesses will also save about 15 percent on air conditioning costs, Mehler says.
Retrofitting fluorescents has brought happy side effects. “Most of the time (the buildings) have been overlit to begin with, so we can go from four T12 to two T5 and nobody’s going to know,” she says. “It’s a little less lumen, but it’s still enough light.”
She says one client, from a CPA company, also noticed a noted difference in temperature after changing to the T5 lamps.
“He could never close the door of his office because the T12s were getting so hot and the air conditioning couldn’t go against it, and ever since he’s had T5s, he can close the door,” she says.
Mehler pointed out that some people are opting to switch to the T8 light because it doesn’t require a new fixture, as it has the same pins and length as the T12.
“But it’s still 30-year-old technology; it’s not a new technology at all,” she says. “What you really want to do if you retrofit and spend (big) money, you want to go all the way. You don’t want to get stuck halfway and go only to T8. You want to go to T5.”
Mehler says T5 tubes are also much better for the eyes than another type of energy-efficient light – LED.
“LED still has the bluish effect, like the ‘Twilight Zone’ … and T5 has a beautiful light,” she says.
Mehler says that with the savings in lighting and cooling costs, the Express T5 Retrofit Kit Series pays for itself within one year. Companies can add to their savings by installing things such as occupancy sensors, which detect motion in a room and turn on and off accordingly, as well as dimmers, which vary the brightness of a light.
“There are a lot of possibilities for consumers and companies to save on energy,” she says.
Tag Archives: LED
Green lighting: Ways to cut costs and save energy
New federal label for household light bulbs packages could help consumers warm up to CFL, LED bulbs | cleveland.com
It used to be that picking up a two-pack or four-pack of light bulbs was a no-brainer.
As if by instinct, most consumers knew what wattage bulb to buy. A 40-watt bulb might go in a closet, a 75-watt could be used in a reading lamp, and a bright 100-watt might go above a workbench. But most often, consumers bought a 60-watt bulb — pretty bright but not blinding, and not so hot that it ruined the fixture.
Much of that buying decision, though, was based on experience and marketing, including information on the package. It was all about how much power a bulb used.
“We have been conditioned to buy on watts,” said Peter Soares, director of consumer marketing for Philips Lighting.Not for long. Because of new technologies, the industry wants consumers to choose light bulbs by lumens, which measure brightness, not by watts. This will be done with fancy new packaging and a sober, federally mandated label.
Read More via New federal label for household light bulbs packages could help consumers warm up to CFL, LED bulbs | cleveland.com.
Legislator Aims to Foster Instrastate Manufacture, Sale of Incandescent Bulbs – Sun Gazette Newspapers: News
A state legislator is hoping to find a away around the federal government’s ban on manufacturing of incandescent light bulbs.
Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) has introduced legislation that would permit the State Corporation Commission to oversee manufacturing and distribution of the light bulbs within Virginia’s borders.
Such an intrastate effort conceivably could skirt federal rules, adopted during the Bush administration, which mandate phasing out the manufacture of incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient lighting sources.
Marshall’s legislation anticipates that the federal government would challenge such a measure; it directs the state attorney general’s office to represent any manufacturer of incandescent bulbs in Virginia in any litigation brought by federal officials or anyone else using federal law as the basis for a suit.
Light Switch: Old-Fashioned Incandescent Bulb To Be Phased Out, But Is It Better For Your Health? – Courant.com
BY WILLIAM WEIR
The Hartford Courant
December 24, 2011
After much debate about the environmental effects of the incandescent light bulb — more or less the same kind from Thomas Edison‘s day — the conventional 100-watt bulb has been spared for at least nine months, thanks to political maneuvering.
Ten days ago, Congress delayed enforcement of new Department of Energy regulations governing 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. Under the new requirement, which was to have taken effect Jan. 1 but was postponed until Oct. 1, manufacturers will no longer be able to produce the bulbs in their current form but will have to make them 25 percent more energy-efficient.
Who knew the light bulb was such a lightning rod? Many people who prefer the incandescent bulb say their choice of light source gives a warmer glow. Besides aesthetics, though, some wonder what health effects would come from a world lit by compact fluorescent bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Fluorescent bulbs have been shown to emit ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause skin cancer, and studies have been conducted on the effects of their flickering.
Mark Rea, director of the lighting research center at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., doesn’t share most of these concerns. He said fluorescent lights have improved greatly in recent decades to eliminate the annoying flicker that sometimes induced headaches. As for UV rays, Rea said, 10 minutes out in the sun will expose you to more UV light than any kind of light bulb.
Fluorescent lightbulbs are environmental timebombs
Fluorescent lighting is a ‘doomed’ lighting technology, set to be replaced by more efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, the managing director of Ruud Lighting Arabia has said.
Terming the lighting technology as an ‘environmental time-bomb’, Vic Andrews warned that fluorescent lighting could cause greater problems further down, despite their energy efficiency.
“I think fluorescent is doomed. From a performance point of view, they’re generally okay. [But] what’s happening now is that a lot of markets, Australia for example, have deemed that by the end of 2012, your incandescent light-bulbs are going to be replaced by fluorescent,” he said.
“That’s great from an energy point of view, but what people don’t realise is that they’re a bit of an environmental time-bomb. This is because every fluorescent contains mercury, a fairly high percentage of mercury.”
He explained that this could potentially cause major environmental problems as the mercury posed a serious contamination risk to water supplies should it escape into them.
“All this stuff is going into landfills, so you’ve got over a billion incandescent light-bulbs out there and you’re replacing them with time-bombs. Now, they work very well, but we also need to educate people about handling and replacing them, that’s the first part,” he explained.
Andrews said that he believed LED lighting technology could be a viable replacement despite its higher cost, which he believed would come down in pricing as the technology gained momentum.
“Eventually, more and more companies will go into retrofitting, developing lamps that will replace these (current lighting technology). There is an LED replacement now for an incandescent lamp, the cost is high, but you know, 15-30 years ago, the cost for replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs was around $7 per fluorescent light bulb, now it’s like $1. So [pricing] is all relative.”
“I think that within 25 years, fluorescent and incandescent will disappear altogether,” he concluded.
via Fluorescent lightbulbs are environmental timebombs | ConstructionWeekOnline.com.
Bulb Myths Debunked
(NAPSI)—Here’s a bright idea: It may be time to get with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Soon, standard incandescent bulbs are going away as a result of continued demand for more energy-efficient lighting products as well as U.S. federal lighting efficiency standards. This means energy-efficient alternatives such as CFLs are becoming even more commonplace.
Though CFLs save considerable money on electricity bills and light homes with a bright, white light, myths still surround them.
To help, industry-leading experts from GE Lighting are shedding some light on myths and questions, including lighting legislation changes, at www.gelighting.com/2012. Among the myths:
Myth: CFLs contain high levels of mercury. GE CFLs contain a very small amount, 2 milligrams on average, which is smaller than a ballpoint pen tip. By comparison, older home thermometers contain 500 milligrams of mercury. It would take literally hundreds of CFLs to equal those amounts.
Myth: If I break a bulb, I need to see a doctor. Scientists employed by the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that the amount of mercury a person is exposed to in cleaning up a broken lamp is equivalent to a bite of tuna, and even the worst-case CFL breakage scenario measured by one state EPA was equivalent to eating just a single meal of albacore tuna.
Myth: CFLs are too expensive. CFL costs have decreased significantly in recent years. Some cost less than $2 when part of a multipack.
Myth: CFLs produce an unattractive blue light. Today’s CFLs can produce a soft, white light in color ranges similar to incandescents. Look for Kelvin numbers on packaging. Bulbs with a 2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin (K) number emit a warmer, yellower color. Those with a 3,500 K to 6,500 K number emit a bluer or whiter light.
Myth: CFLs give people headaches. Anecdotal reports of headaches are very rare, and there is currently no scientific evidence that CFLs cause headaches. While older, long-tube fluorescent bulbs in industrial settings could have caused headaches due to their noticeable flicker rate, today’s CFLs operate at a faster frequency to eliminate flickering. To learn more about advancements in CFL technologies, as well as halogen and light-emitting diode (LED) light bulb options, visit www.gelighting.com.
via Bulb Myths Debunked | njtoday.net – Everything New Jersey.
Fading to dark?
Fading to dark?
Homeowners prepare for lighting technology changes
By Rick Moon
Posted: July 30, 2011
Ashley Skarda already sees the change occurring.
Customers buy a high-end lamp from her store, Heritage Lighting in Cedarburg. Next, they purchase a lifetime supply of incandescent bulbs for the lamp.
Compact fluorescent bulbs are a much more energy-efficient option. Yet they are a non-starter for many lamp collectors, Skarda said. Often the bulbs don’t fit the lamps. Other times they don’t fit the lamps’ appearance.
“Many of the trends are to see the bulb in the lamp, whether it’s a decorative or incandescent bulb,” she said. “A lot of the compact fluorescents, they turn people off.”
The options for Skarda’s customers, and all light bulb buyers, will diminish in January. The 100-watt incandescent bulb will disappear from store shelves, courtesy of bipartisan federal legislation beginning to directly affect consumers.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 set new efficiency standards for many types of light bulbs. Most traditional incandescent bulbs don’t measure up. The 40-watt bulb will be the last to go in January 2014.
In turn, consumers will face new lighting choices among possibly unfamiliar technologies.
Even the traditional measuring sticks will change. New labeling is already appearing on bulb packages. Instead of gauging a bulb by the watts of electricity it consumes, the emphasis is on lumens — a measure of brightness — plus estimated annual cost and bulb lifespan.
The light bulb choices left will be uniformly more energy-efficient than incandescents. For the immediate future, they should all be more expensive, too. Compact fluorescents (CFLs) and halogen bulbs have been on the consumer market for years. LED bulbs — short for “light-emitting diode” — are slowly crawling in.
Of course, this doesn’t mean all consumers have to like the changes.
“The people who really have a passion for the antique stuff don’t have any interest in the compact fluorescents,” Skarda said. Halogen bulbs offer a more aesthetically-pleasing alternative, she said, but cost more and can be tricky to install.
Conversely, some customers are completely renovating with CFLs, driven by possible energy savings.
“It’s something that I see different sides of all the time,” Skarda said.
Terms defined
The incandescent bulb is roughly 130-year-old technology. Dave Skarda, also of Heritage Lighting, predicted that the bulbs will not disappear completely. People will learn that, in some cases, they get the same light output from a lower-wattage incandescent as a higher-rated unit.
“There’s always going to be an incandescent bulb as long as there are fixtures that need them,” he said.
For those who appreciate the quality of incandescent light, halogen bulbs are the obvious successor. Their design also heats an internal wire and produces a large volume of light from a small source. Halogen bulbs offer a multitude of shapes to match different lamp styles.
From an energy-efficiency perspective, halogen bulbs are on the low end of the eventual remaining choices. Typically rated for 3,000 hours of use, they are several times more expensive than incandescent bulbs.
Compact fluorescent bulbs often feature a twirled-tube design and are rated for up to 10,000 hours of use. They use a fraction of the energy of an incandescent bulb. Prices have dropped significantly in recent years.
Still, not everyone is an advocate.
“The quality of light is definitely what you hear complaints about, and people are still concerned with the mercury content and the recycling,” said Andrew Guskov of Lutron Electronics, Milwaukee. CFLs are designed for use in upright lamps, he added — hanging them upside down from can lighting or other fixtures significantly lessens their lifespan.
CFL technology has evolved to replicate the “soft” light of most incandescents. Guskov suggested that those who still dislike it should use the bulbs where light quality is unimportant, such as utility rooms or unfinished areas.
LED lighting is far and away the most energy-efficient. Performance limitations and cost — easily $20 per bulb — are slowing its entry into the residential market. Given that its expected life is 45,000 hours, an LED bulb might almost be a “once in a lifetime” purchase.
“It’s definitely something that will blow everyone out of the water when they’re perfected,” Ashley Skarda said of LEDs.
Some of the new bulb technologies are still scrambling to catch up to basic home infrastructure. Many halogen and LED bulbs finally have screw-in bases. CFLs and LEDs are largely incompatible with dimmers, Guskov said. The ones that do work are labeled, making it important for consumers to carefully read packaging.
New dimmers that work with all bulb types will arrive soon, Guskov promised. In the meantime, he suggested combining halogen bulbs with dimmers for the best combination of ambiance and energy savings.
Occupancy sensors can save energy with all bulb types, Guskov added. The sensors turn off lights when an area is unoccupied. The devices are handy for walk-in closets, bathrooms and utility rooms, he said.
As the clock ticks down to the exit of most incandescent bulbs, the higher upfront cost of the remaining options may make many unhappy. Homeowners can take some solace knowing that they will save on energy usage and, in the long run, also save money.
Philips switches on bright LED bulb
Philips is introducing an LED bulb that gives off as much light as a 75-watt incandescent bulb and consume 17 watts of power.
The lighting giant said today that the EnduraLED A21 will be available in the fourth quarter for a price expected to be between $40 and $45. It will show off the bulb tomorrow at the LightFair lighting conference, where many LED lighting announcements are expected.
The EnduraLED A21 will be the first general-purpose LED bulb to give off as much light as a 75-watt incandescent bulb, according to Philips. It will be rated at 1,100 lumens and an efficiency of almost 65 lumens per watt.
Read Full Article via Philips switches on bright LED bulb | Green Tech – CNET News.
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Now if I could just get that loan so I could change all my house bulbs to LEDs.
