Light Bulb Replacement
Whether we like it or not we are going to be using the compact
fluorescent lamp (CFL) in place of incandescent light bulbs
in the near future. The congress and the environmental
protection agency have deemed it necessary as a means to
save on energy consumption and reduce greenhouse emissions.
In short, the incandescent light bulb will become extinct
sometime after 2012. Although many of us may not be
comfortable with the light bulb ruling we have little choice
but to comply, assuming that we are still going
to light our homes. The biggest objection to our light bulb
replacement is the high
cost, approximately 3 – 10 % more than an incandescent bulb,
and the poor quality of light they
produce.
The CFL is a
compact fluorescent
lamp which is an
energy saving light
bulb.
They are specifically designed to replace our
incandescent light bulbs. The CFL has
 about a 12%
longer life rating and will save you about 20% to 35% of the
energy cost for the equivalent light of an incandescent
bulb. However,
the CFL does cost significantly more than incandescent light
bulbs although they will save as much as $30 in electricity
cost over the life of the lamp compared to incandescent
bulbs. When you
figure that the average home has approximately two dozen
incandescent light bulbs, this is a significant savings in
energy cost. There is no special alteration required of your
lamps or light sockets to use the CFL. It is designed to fit
into the same light sockets as the incandescent light bulb.
The CFL does emit light differently.
 An
incandescent light bulb produces light by heating a filament
until it glows. A CFL produces light by heating a gas
consisting of
argon
and a small amount of
mercury
vapor. This generates invisible
ultraviolet light
that excites a fluorescent coating on the inside of the
lamp, which then emits
visible light.
Although there has been a lot of hype about the mercury in a
CFL it is so insignificant it can practically be ignored.
However, if you break a CFL, certain precautions should be
taken in cleaning up the pieces. Clean up instruction are
detailed on the container that the CFL comes in. If you are
familiar with the regular tubular florescent light bulb you
may be curious as to where the ballast is in a CFL. The
ballast is an electronic module contained in the base of the
CFL and functions the same way as the ballast in a regular
florescent tube light.
When selecting a CFL's for replacement bulbs, be sure that you
read the instructions on the label to insure that you get
the equivalent wattage rating as an incandescent bulb. For
example, if you want the equivalent light of a 100 watt
incandescent light bulb you would purchase a CFL with a 23
to 28 watt range. Keep in mind that not all CFL’s will work
in all applications. If you use an incandescent bulb in a
three way lamp such as a 30, 70,120 watts, you should use a
13, 20, 25 watt CFL for equivalent light. Most CFLs will
work fine on dimmer circuits; however, there are CFLs that
are designed specifically for use with dimmers that have
internal design differences. For an outside environment you
should purchase a CFL that are designed for outside use.
There are several different styles of CFLs to choose from as
each manufacture design style is slightly different,
however, they all meet the same standards and should work
fine when used for their designed application.
Light bulbs alone use about 7% of the
energy in the average home. By reducing this by 20 to 35% we
will save a significant amount of money on energy cost as
well as do a small part in coping with the issues of climate
change. Although the earlier designed CFLs produced poor
quality lighting, the new designs has improved
significantly. Light bulb replacement is here to stay and is
a routine DIY project.
GFCI Electrical Outlets
Installing
GFCI Outlets
Light Bulb
Burn Out
Light Fixture Replacement
Light Switch Replacement
Outside Electrical Circuit
|
Home Improvement Plus Perks