Choosing Light Bulbs for Aesthetics

ptowers49 — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:27:06 +0000

Now when you have designed your new interior scheme and picked the lighting you do not want to go and ruin it all by selecting ugly light bulbs. Now there are definitely different alternatives that are available for energy saving light bulbs with different technologies, energy consumptions and aesthetics. So you need to select your light bulb for both energy saving efficiency and aesthetics. Lets look at some of the alternative light bulbs that strike the balance between aesthetics and efficiency.
Halogen Light Bulbs
Halogen Bulbs are definitely aesthetically pleasing and they will save around 30% in electricity costs against the traditional incandescent bulb. As an example if you choose a clear candle halogen bulb for your chandelier then the clear light will really make the most of the sparkle from the crystals. Then if you really want that aesthetic design edge go for the candle mflame tip halogen bulb which will enhance the look of your chandelier considerably and the light bulbs will really contribute to the overall looks. Clearly the light bulbs will never look like real candles with a glowing flame but the simple clean design of the flame tip candle bulb is the best choice for an electric light bulb.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps- CFL’s
The energy saving bulbs which use the compact fluorescent lamp technology are certainly good from an energy efficiency perspective saving around 80% against a traditional incandescent bulb, but the aesthetics can be far from pleasing. This is just fine if the light bulb is tucked away inside a lamp and is not visible, but if the light bulb is seen under the shade or there is no sconce at all then be sure to pick the right choice. The original linear CFL’s look awful and now at least the full spiral energy saving light bulbs have improves aesthetics, but the visual appearance is still far from ideal. The best choice is to go for the globe design CFL and if you pick one with a nice spherical shaped energy saving globe light bulb, then the look can be highly desirable. This way you can get the best of both worlds with a beautiful looking bulb that will pay for itself in electricity savings in a matter of months. That has got to be a win-win situation on the light bulb front!
LED Bulbs
If you want the ultimate in energy efficiency then the best choice is the LED light bulb which will save you around 90% in electricity although the initial outlay for the light bulbs is considerably higher. However, be aware of the appearance to be sure that they are right for your lighting application. Now if you have simple halogen downlighter then there are some very elegant LED MR16 bulbs available that will produce the equivalent of say 25W halogen output from a 3W LED. That is a great energy saving light bulb and the aesthetics are good too.
If you have a chandelier with say 20 bulbs then if you use 40 watt traditional bulbs then you will be consuming a massive 800 watts which is enough to heat the room if it is not mod winter! This means then you really need an energy efficient light bulb scheme. You can go for the halogen bulbs as mentioned above but alternatively you could fit say 3W LED candle flame bulbs which will give you a light output per bulb of around 25 watts. The aesthetics are not as pleasing as the halogen bulbs as the multiple LED lights can look rather high tech, but if you build that into your interior design scheme then the result can be quite pleasing.

Visit the Author's website: http://saving-light-bulbs.co.uk

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Why LED Bulbs Are Getting So Popular?

sharondarochelle40@gmail.com — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:43:54 +0000

These days the focus is on developing energy efficient devices that are environment friendly. We can no longer afford to play havoc with nature. We are already experiencing the ill effects of global warming caused by the excessive carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Keeping this in mind, LED bulbs have been introduced and they are fast replacing incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). LED bulbs use only a fraction of the energy consumed by the incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs. Therefore, it is a green option for illuminating spaces. A 12v LED bulb is as powerful as a 40W incandescent bulb but uses just 2W of power. This means that these types of bulbs use only 5 to 10 percent of electricity consumed by the traditional bulbs.

Initially, LEDs were used only for indicator lights in electronic devices but now they are being used for lighting purposes too. A light emitting diode bulb consists of several LED bulbs clustered together. They emit light in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelength. The color of the light depends on the doping material of the semiconductor.

Not only these bulbs are energy efficient but they also last longer. They have a life of 7 to 10 years depending upon their usage. A 12v LED bulb if used only for 8 hours a day can last for up to 10 years. Though many people ditch the idea of buying these bulbs due to their high price, they turn out to be an inexpensive option for lighting in the long run. They have five times longer life than compact fluorescent lamps, which last for only 2 years. Moreover, by using these bulbs in your home, you can reduce your electricity bills by about 15 to 25 percent. They do not just reduce the cost of lighting but also the cost of air-conditioning. These bulbs do not emit excessive heat as incandescent bulbs do. Therefore, unlike traditional bulbs they do not heat up the room, which eventually reduces the burden on the air-conditioning system.

LED bulbs are mercury free and therefore do not harm the environment and the health of the occupants. Also, they do not flicker. The shocks and vibrations do not easily damage them as they do not have any filament. They are available in a wide range of wattages. The most widely used ones are the 12v LED bulbs that give illumination equivalent to a 40 or 60 Watt incandescent bulb depending upon its specifications. You can get LED floodlights, dimmers, bi-pin lights, flashlights, globes, and so forth in different colors. LED bulbs do not require filters for producing lights of different colors. Companies produce LED light bulbs that emit light of different colors by using different semiconductor materials. They also score over incandescent bulbs in terms of luminous efficiency. Whereas the efficiency of an LED bulb is 55 lumens per Watt, that of an incandescent bulb is only 15 lumens per Watt.

When everybody is aiming to reduce their carbon footprints, these bulbs have come as a boon. The companies are finding ways to reduce the manufacturing cost of these bulbs so that they can be made available to the masses at affordable rates.

Visit the Author's website: http://home-electrical.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_benefits_of_led_lighting

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Choosing Light Bulbs for Aesthetics

Why LED Bulbs Are Getting So Popular?