Ask Umbra: Watts up with Lightbulbs? > 자유게시판

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A nonprofit, impartial media group devoted to telling tales of local weather solutions and a simply future. Ask Umbra: Watts up with lightbulbs? A reader wonders which type of lightbulb is greenest. Umbra sheds some mild. Send your question to Umbra! I know you’ve written about lightbulbs earlier than, but it seems like there are lots of latest options on store shelves. Are incandescents even being sold anymore? And EcoLight what about LED lights? I tried some just a few years ago and, in addition to being hella costly, the sunshine they gave off was cold and blue and institutional - I couldn’t stand it. Are there different low-vitality varieties? Which sorts of EcoLight bulbs work with dimmers? Are you able to - ahem - shed some light on this complicated subject? Grist thanks its sponsors. To assist our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to permit adverts on Grist. Thanks for reminding me that it’s time for our semi-demi-hexi-annual revisitation of the lightbulb topic.

And EcoLight bulbs what better day than Earth Day to undertake this quest? For years, "change a lightbulb" has been cited as a easy step folks can take to assist the planet. Now even that command is starting to really feel sophisticated, a state of affairs that does not help our cause. But I promise it’s not likely as sophisticated as all that. For dimmable LED bulbs these with short attention spans, EcoLight bulbs the answer is: Go purchase LEDs. Grist thanks its sponsors. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to permit advertisements on Grist. Here’s the remainder of the story: Again in 2007, George W. Bush (you remember him) signed an Energy Bill that, among different issues, meant to make America more vitality efficient. It included laws that would end the manufacture of wildly inefficient lightbulbs. Some political shenanigans ensued, EcoLight however the short model is that in 2012, the phaseout of standard incandescent bulbs started, starting with the 100-watt varieties.

This yr, 75-watt bulbs are to get the heave-ho, followed by 60-watt and 40-watt fashions. Should you wish to know more, the EPA has a handy explainer on the subject. This shift may save U.S. 6 billion in 2015 alone, says the company - check out this calculator to see figures particular to your own home. However new lightbulbs can also really feel complicated and costly when we’ve spent our lives grabbing a familiar 75-watt bulb and paying $1 for it. Halogen incandescents are as close as you will get to the acquainted incandescent bulbs now being phased out. These high-tech versions of the old standby last two to three times longer and use about 25 percent less vitality. They give the impression of being the same as the previous variations, so they could also be comforting to individuals who think newfangled bulbs are weird. They can be utilized in your dimmers! That is an area of product improvement that could be price holding an eye on: One advisor instructed The new York Occasions that the bulb regulations, after they have been brand EcoLight bulbs new, had spurred "more incandescent improvements within the last three years than in the final two decades." But you’ll still save extra money and vitality with a CFL or LED.

Compact fluorescents (CFLs) final 10 instances so long as traditional incandescents and EcoLight bulbs use 75 percent much less energy. They're a very good vitality-saving choice, and a few might be utilized in dimmers (check particular person packaging), however they have drawbacks. They include a tiny quantity of mercury, which implies you can’t just toss them in the trash - although disposal has gotten easier thanks to recycling applications at main retailers together with House Depot and IKEA. CFLs also require some relearning: We shouldn't flip them off as religiously as we’ve been educated to do with incandescents, as a result of they actually have a finite variety of on-off cycles. Frequent switching may be one cause they burn out early. Listed below are a couple of different issues that may do in a CFL. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) final 25 instances as lengthy because the outdated incandescents and use 75 percent less power as nicely. Honestly, Liza, they are the way of the longer term. Scratch that: They are the way in which of the now.

Forget your chilly blue expertise of yesteryear and EcoLight bulbs look into the array of options obtainable in the present day, lots of which are coated on this useful New York Instances overview. LEDs get brilliant instantly (versus having an annoying "warm-up" interval like CFLs), aren’t weakened by on-off cycling, and could be utilized in your dimmer. Yes, they are costly up entrance, but their worth has dropped dramatically within the final couple of years, and EcoLight should continue to do so. If you possibly can manage $5 to $10 for a bulb, I promise it can pay off handsomely over time in lower power bills, much less bulb-changing, less pollution from the facility plants that electrify our houses, much less buying, and EcoLight brand fewer angst. By the way, if you actually wish to geek out on the subject of lighting, here’s a fun quiz from the oldsters at National Geographic. You would possibly even study enough to concoct an odd new sign-off. Grist is the only award-profitable newsroom centered on exploring equitable solutions to climate change. It’s very important reporting made completely potential by loyal readers such as you. At Grist, we don’t believe in paywalls. As an alternative, we rely on our readers to pitch in what they will so that we can continue bringing you our solution-primarily based climate information. Grist is the one award-successful newsroom targeted on exploring equitable solutions to local weather change. It’s important reporting made totally possible by loyal readers such as you. At Grist, we don’t consider in paywalls. As a substitute, we rely on our readers to pitch in what they will in order that we will proceed bringing you our solution-based mostly local weather information. Koch brothers need to purchase L.A. Grist thanks its sponsors. Grist thanks its sponsors.