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www.ambiente.us MAY / MAYO 2008
Shedding light on bulbs
by McClatchy-Tribune Newspapers
It's hip to be twisty these days. Compact fluorescent light
bulbs are praised as energy-efficient and environmentally
friendly. They're also the wave of the future — the U.S.
government recently approved new lighting efficiency
standards, which likely will mean the end of the traditional
ncandescent light bulb perfected in the 1870s by Thomas
Alva Edison. Here's a look at CFLs:
Why are CFLs all the rage?
Energy. At a time of soaring energy prices and fears about
greenhouse emissions from power plants, CFLs use about
75 percent less electricity than the standard incandescent bulb
— and last up to 10 times longer.
According to the U.S. government, if every American home replaced one light bulb with an Energy Star-rated
CFL, the nation would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year — and save more
than $600 million in electric bills
How bulbs work
The key to the efficiency of CFLs is that they waste far less energy in the form of heat.
In incandescent bulbs, electricity superheats a tungsten filament inside the bulb; the heat makes the filament
white-hot, which produces visible light. About 90 percent of energy is wasted as heat. In fluorescent bulbs,
electricity evaporates a tiny bead of liquid mercury, turning it into gas. The gas gives off ultraviolet light that
excites a white powder — phosphor — coating the inside of the bulb. The coating emits the visible light.
About 30 percent of energy is wasted as heat.
Halogen lamps work like an incandescent, but the filament is inside a capsule filled with halogen gas. The
halogen redeposits the tungsten on the filament, extending the bulb's life. About 90 percent of energy is
emitted as heat.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the tiny bulbs used in Christmas tree lights and traffic signals, run an electric
current through a semiconductor, which gives off light as a byproduct but little waste-heat.
How long do they last?
Most average close to 10,000 hours, about 10 times longer than standard bulbs. Turning a CFL on and off
frequently shortens its life, so the government's Energy Star program recommends using them only in areas
where the light is left on at least 15 minutes at a time. When a CFL is used in a bathroom, the humidity could
shorten its life.
Hard on the eyes?
The first CFLs had a limited range of tones, often casting a bluish-white light that turned off consumers. CFLs
with "Kelvin temperatures" of 2,700 to 3,000 now offer a softer light that's closer to traditional bulbs.
The dark side of CFLs
Each bulb contains 5 milligrams of mercury, so some worry about the cumulative impact of tossing tens of
thousands of the bulbs into the trash and releasing all that mercury into the environment. Don't throw CFLs
out in the trash. Drop them off at a household hazardous waste collection point.
Copyright © Chicago Tribune AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source.
Shedding light on bulbs
by McClatchy-Tribune Newspapers
It's hip to be twisty these days. Compact fluorescent light
bulbs are praised as energy-efficient and environmentally
friendly. They're also the wave of the future — the U.S.
government recently approved new lighting efficiency
standards, which likely will mean the end of the traditional
ncandescent light bulb perfected in the 1870s by Thomas
Alva Edison. Here's a look at CFLs:
Why are CFLs all the rage?
Energy. At a time of soaring energy prices and fears about
greenhouse emissions from power plants, CFLs use about
75 percent less electricity than the standard incandescent bulb
— and last up to 10 times longer.
According to the U.S. government, if every American home replaced one light bulb with an Energy Star-rated
CFL, the nation would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year — and save more
than $600 million in electric bills
How bulbs work
The key to the efficiency of CFLs is that they waste far less energy in the form of heat.
In incandescent bulbs, electricity superheats a tungsten filament inside the bulb; the heat makes the filament
white-hot, which produces visible light. About 90 percent of energy is wasted as heat. In fluorescent bulbs,
electricity evaporates a tiny bead of liquid mercury, turning it into gas. The gas gives off ultraviolet light that
excites a white powder — phosphor — coating the inside of the bulb. The coating emits the visible light.
About 30 percent of energy is wasted as heat.
Halogen lamps work like an incandescent, but the filament is inside a capsule filled with halogen gas. The
halogen redeposits the tungsten on the filament, extending the bulb's life. About 90 percent of energy is
emitted as heat.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the tiny bulbs used in Christmas tree lights and traffic signals, run an electric
current through a semiconductor, which gives off light as a byproduct but little waste-heat.
How long do they last?
Most average close to 10,000 hours, about 10 times longer than standard bulbs. Turning a CFL on and off
frequently shortens its life, so the government's Energy Star program recommends using them only in areas
where the light is left on at least 15 minutes at a time. When a CFL is used in a bathroom, the humidity could
shorten its life.
Hard on the eyes?
The first CFLs had a limited range of tones, often casting a bluish-white light that turned off consumers. CFLs
with "Kelvin temperatures" of 2,700 to 3,000 now offer a softer light that's closer to traditional bulbs.
The dark side of CFLs
Each bulb contains 5 milligrams of mercury, so some worry about the cumulative impact of tossing tens of
thousands of the bulbs into the trash and releasing all that mercury into the environment. Don't throw CFLs
out in the trash. Drop them off at a household hazardous waste collection point.
Copyright © Chicago Tribune AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source.
