Posts Tagged ‘light’

BBC Breakfast Coverage of The National Trust’s ‘Big Switch’ With the impacts of climate change increasingly affecting the historic buildings, gardens, countryside and coast in The National Trust’s care, they take considerable time and energy to reduce their carbon footprint and change their use of technology to increase efficiency and to conserve energy. Lighting Services met with The National Trust over a year ago to help bring about change in both application and education of energy saving lighting within The Trust. This was the start of the ‘Big Switch’, a widely known about conversion from old to new technology. The ‘Big Switch’ quickly became the term given to a three way project between The National Trust, Lighting Services and Philips Lighting. The aim? To convert every single lamp, in every single property to an energy saving or longer life equivalent where possible. With nearly five hundred different properties it was always going to be a challenge to get the individuals within the Trust to understand what to change to. With the variety of energy savers on the market there was also the added problem of choosing the correct equivalent for the correct application. With hundreds of historically sensitive areas within the National Trust’s properties it was simply not just a case of switching incandescent to compact fluorescent. It was to be a much more complex exercise. An example of the complexity was illustrated with the use of a new lamp which was launched in …

Energy Saving Light Bulbs

The phasing out of incandescent light bulbs in the EU is due to end in 2011 and many people are worried about giving up their beloved bulbs. However, in this article I will detail some of the common myths that are associated with energy saving light bulbs and tell you the facts so you can make an informed decision.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs do not produce the same light output as traditional bulbs.

Fact: Today energy savers can easily replicate the light output of traditional bulbs using around a fifth of the power. LED bulbs are also becoming more powerful and the new generation are able to produce the same amount of lumens as halogen bulbs.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs are ugly and don’t look good in some of my fittings.

Fact: Energy savers are now available in all traditional bulb styles including classic, candle and spotlights, meaning they will fit in some of your most ornate fittings.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs are not environmentally friendly as they use mercury which is a hazardous material.

Fact: New energy savers use a mercury substitute called amalgam, this is completely safe to handle, transport and store and it is of no risk to either humans or the environment. There is also a recycling charge included in the price of the bulb making them far more environmentally friendly than traditional bulbs.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs trigger epileptic fits.

Fact: A small number of cases have been reported with the older models, however these were never verified. The new models run at a higher frequency and do not have any know health impact.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs don’t light up straight away.

Fact: The new models of energy saving bulbs have an almost instant switch on time and will reach their full brightness straight away. The delay in earlier models was caused by ignition of the gas inside the bulb.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs do not produce the right coloured light.

Fact: Advancements in technology mean that lighting manufacturers can now replicate the light colour of traditional incandescent bulbs. A recent study showed that only 50% of people can tell the difference between energy savers and incandescent bulbs (Pepsi Challenge, EST, 2008).

Myth: Energy saving bulbs will not fit some of my light fittings.

Fact: Today energy savers are available in all four traditional caps (bayonet, edison screw, small bayonet and small edison screw) as well as GU10, MR16 and PAR fittings.

Myth: Energy saving bulbs will not work with dimmer switches.

Fact: New models of energy saving bulbs are available with dimming capabilities

When energy saving light bulbs were first available many believed that they were no substitute for incandescent lighting however technological advancements have ensured that they can match incandescent bulbs in looks and capabilities while being five times more efficient. I hope this article has helped to dispel some myths about energy saving lighting and you can make an informed decision about your lighting needs.

Please visit Greenhouse Organisation for all your energy saving light bulbs.

Megalight(www.megalight.com) introduced energy saving CFL light bulb that uses 30% less mercury than other lighting companies at the 2008 National Hardware Show, May 6 ~8, in Las Vegas. According to the company, if every American household replaced only one of their incandescent bulbs with an energy-efficient CFL, it would save more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800000 cars. In addition, Megalight presented its growing LED product line, which lasts a lifetime and 100% mercury-free.

Following on from Energy Saving Week, which took place from 19 – 25 October, we thought that it was about time someone tackled those myths about lighting – so here are our top 10 questions about energy saving light bulbs and those dirty incandescent ones.

1. Aren’t energy saving bulbs much dimmer than traditional ones?
Whilst Energy Saving light bulbs once had a reputation for being dim this is now outdated. Most modern varieties – produced by household brands – are just as bright as traditional bulbs and give an equally ‘warm’ light.

2. Aren’t energy saving light bulbs full of mercury and other toxins?
A standard energy saving light bulb contains 3 to 4 milligrams of mercury- whilst a standard thermometer contains at least 100 times more mercury! Indeed, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs states that the amount of mercury in lamps is less than the mercury that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere by coal-fire power generation to produce the energy used by an incandescent lamp.

3. Why has my local supermarket stopped selling traditional light bulbs?
From 1st September 2009, retailers in the UK were no longer allowed to buy traditional 100MW tungsten bulbs from their suppliers- they can however, still sell them until their supplies run out. Other wattage of bulbs will be phased out in a similar manner by 2012. Whilst many retailers chose to stockpile their traditional light bulbs, it is possible that some of the smaller retailers near you will run out of stocks quicker as they’ll have more limited storage in their shop.

4. How much would I save by using energy saving light bulbs? Aren’t they more expensive to begin with?
Again, they used to be, but nowadays you’ll find them competitively priced with the traditional bulbs. In fact, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that not only will they last longer, but you save around £2.50 a year per bulb in energy bills – so you’ll save around a total of £65 in energy and replacement costs over the lifetime of each bulb.

5. Is this banning the sale of traditional bulbs (yet another) thing that the EU is forcing on us?
Whilst there is an EU-wide directive covering the sale of traditional bulbs, the UK also has its own voluntary agreement with major retailers which actually goes further – stopping the sale of traditional bulbs a year earlier than the rest of the EU. The UK has also, uniquely in Europe, committed itself to cuts in carbon emissions outside any international treaty. Restricting the sales of traditional bulbs is regarded as being the “low hanging fruit” of the fight against climate change as it’s an easy, cost-positive way of cutting carbon quickly.

6. Don’t energy saving light bulbs need time to warm up?
Again, this is something that energy savings bulbs have got a bad reputation for but now, it’s undeserved. A modern energy saving bulb will only take one or two seconds to reach full brilliance, which is barely noticeable in your day-to-day life.

7. Can you recycle energy saving bulbs?
Yes you can! Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, anywhere that sells energy saving light bulbs has to provide information on where they can be recycled. Many of the larger retailers will even take them away for you.

8. Aren’t energy saving light bulbs a danger to your health? I’ve heard they can cause migraines?
Some people have concerns that energy saving bulbs pose a risk to human health. Some of the most common concerns are:
Migraines: Many migraine support groups have raised this issue as a concern, the Department of Health is funding research into the matter.
Epilepsy: Many people fear than energy saving bulbs can cause epilepsy. However, Epilepsy Action says: “Epilepsy Action is not aware of any evidence that low energy light bulbs can directly trigger epileptic seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy”
Skin concerns: The Health Protection Agency state that open (single envelope) CFLs should not be used where people are closer than 30 cm to 1 ft to the bare light bulb for over 1 hour a day. At these distances CFLs might emit Ultra Violet (UV) light at a level less than equivalent to being outside on a sunny summer’s day. As of September 2009 as a result of EU legislation, all energy saving light bulbs emit a safe amount of UV light so pose no cancer risk.

9. I have lots of dimmer switches in my home – can I use energy saving light bulbs? What about Bayonet and Cap fittings –I’m not sure I like those weird-looking ones?
Traditionally, energy saving light bulbs have not been available for dimmer switch lights and were exclusively available in the “weird” design. However, as a result of recent innovations, energy saving dimmer switch lights are starting to become more widely available. Why not search for them online?
Likewise, energy saving bulbs are now available in both Cap and bayonet fittings in a range of designs –including “lookalikes” which are exactly like traditional designs. The Energy Saving trust has a comprehensive guide to the different energy saving light bulbs on their website.

10. Is it more energy-efficient to keep energy saving lights on all the time, or should I turn them on and off as needed?
Turning a light on uses about the same amount of energy as keeping one on for two minutes –so it’ll be more efficient to turn them off as you leave the room if you know you’re not coming back for a short while.

So that’s it! The phasing out of incandescent light bulbs is a really positive step for you and the environment. With the economy going through such a tough time, who wants to spend their hard-earned cash on something as boring as keeping the lights on! Now you know all the facts, get some energy saving light bulbs for your home and treat yourself with the money you’ve saved.

A new energy saving light bulb using only 3 watts of power input, and giving 40 watts of light out, and it has a 50000 hour life cycle.

How You Can Master Holographic Time To Gain Extreme Wealth And Peace.
Realms Of Joy – Time Of Light.

Everyone wants a home that is bright and cheery and filled with light. Not only is natural light healthier for your body and energy system than artificial light but it also cuts down on the energy costs of using more artificial lights in the home.

Having lots of windows to let in the natural light also gives the feeling of bringing the outdoors in and can help give the sense of more space by visually extending the room.

However, one of the downsides to having lots of natural sunlight is the amount of heat generated by the sunlight. Sunlight absorbed into your windows makes up to 40% of your summer energy costs.

Not only does sunlight heat up the room but the UV rays can alter the color and cause fading of expensive curtains, furniture, carpeting and hardwood floors. Also UV rays coming throught the window can be absorbed through the skin while indoors.

All of this might cause you to just forego the beautiful views from outside and draw the drapes and run the air conditioner to keep the heat down leaving you with a dark dreary house in the end.

There is another solution: Energy saving window film! Energy saving window film is a thin, transparent sheet that can be applied to the interior of a window to change its heat and light transmitting characteristics. With easy to apply, invisible insulating window film, you can block harsh rays and still enjoy daylight and the scenery.

Energy saving window film is a non-reflective, non-tinted film that fits all single-pane windows and is applied without adhesive. This is an easy do it yourself project that doesn’t require a specialized installer.

The sun-blocking and insulation properties of window film can mean substantial savings on your energy costs. Depending on the type and brand of window film, they can block between 65% to around 80% of solar heat coming into the home through a window in the summertime and help reduce winter heat loss by keeping between 35% to 40% of the heat inside the home during the winter time.

Another added benefit is that insulating window films also block between 98 – 99% of UV rays that can fade carpets, drapes, furniture and wood floors. Non-reflective, non-tinted film also has the side benefits of glare reduction, increased shatter resistance, and absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Temperatures near the windows are reduced as well, which increases occupant comfort.

This is a cheaper quick fix solution than replacing all the windows in your home with energy efficient windows if you can’t afford to do that at the moment. So enjoy your bright cheery home now and let the light in.

Green, energy-saving light bulbs are compact fluorescent lights that require much less energy to illuminate a room and they last much longer than traditional light bulbs. Find ways to save energy through light bulbs withadvice from a licensed remodeling contractor in this free video on home maintenance. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown

Energy Saving Light Bulbs should be in all homes. We use the lights in whole day many times. But these lights consume lot of energy. Almost all the incandescence lights consume more energy than the fluorescent lamps. As the energy required to heat the filament in the incandescence lights is more where as in the case of fluorescent lamps there is no need to heat filament and therefore the energy required for such lamps is less.

There are different types of these power or energy saving lamps, which are as follows

Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFLs) Bulb

These are 11 watt A19 compact fluorescent bulbs. These are energy saving bulbs as they save energy around 40 watts than that of the incandescent lamps. Along with this, supra compact fluorescent lamps will lasts around 10 times more than that of the incandescent lights by saving around 75% of the energy. These CFLs will give warm color tone and has around 10,000 long life lamp hours than that of the incandescent lights.

These supra life CFL will produce minimum heat, light intensity and provides the best color rendition. Along with these features these are low profile size so as to fit variety of fixtures. This will offer around 36,000 hours of life span by saving tremendous amount of the energy without the maintenance.

Blue Patriotic Light

These are the lights which will require no more replacements of the bulbs so one can replace there old bulbs with these bulbs so as to save the energy required. These are well for the home decoration purpose. This bulb is compassed with the three LEDs inside it therefore consumes less energy. These bulbs need around 8 watts of power and life hours is of 100,000 hours. The main feature of this bulb is that they are water, chip and chip resistant.

Halogen Floodlight

These are 38 watts PAR 38 halogen floodlight which saves energy up to 5660 hours energy. These lamps use the rigid quartz capsule which is more durable this will conform precise beam control to the help of solid state design. These lamps will save the energy up to 13% than any general halogen lights. The lamp is advantageous as it is provided with the coating this reflecting coating will pass heat outside the bulb through back and allows the light forward. These lights will survive for any commercial use where as it will survive for around the 5 years in the house hold.

These are the types of the energy saving light bulbs and due to the different technologies used they actually helpful in saving the energy.