#5: Go for the Lumins
Lighting has traditionally been provided by incandescent light bulbs, and while CFLs and Leds have dominated the market offering more light while using less energy, people still think of lighting in traditional terms - by the watt.
A watt is a measurement of power, however, when we talk about a 60 Watt light bulb, we really mean Watts per hour - a unit of energy. A traditional 60W lightbulb emits about 800 lumens (a measurement of visible light). Want more light go for a bulb that has more Lumins.
Extra pro tip: if you want more light for you buck, look for a bulb with a high lumens to watts ratio. Also keep in mind that you want a long life.
A watt is a measurement of power, however, when we talk about a 60 Watt light bulb, we really mean Watts per hour - a unit of energy. A traditional 60W lightbulb emits about 800 lumens (a measurement of visible light). Want more light go for a bulb that has more Lumins.
Extra pro tip: if you want more light for you buck, look for a bulb with a high lumens to watts ratio. Also keep in mind that you want a long life.
#4: Don't get a CFL if you turn it on and off a lot
CFLs (compact florescent) wont give a great life if you keep turning them on and off a lot. They won't be a good choice for your hallway if you have loads of people passing through for short periods of times. Then again, since you are only using it for a short period of time, you will probably need to wait a long time for the bulb to kick the can.. err, Maybe.
If you do a CFL for your bathroom, you may want to look out for an Instant On Bulb - waiting 2 or more seconds for the light to warm up may mean a wet floor - or worse a wet bath rug.
If you do a CFL for your bathroom, you may want to look out for an Instant On Bulb - waiting 2 or more seconds for the light to warm up may mean a wet floor - or worse a wet bath rug.
#3: Get a bulb that fits the socket
Contrary to popular belief, you can get bulbs with different socket sizes. European bulbs, for example wont fit in American sockets because they are a different size. Good thing too, because these bulbs expect a much higher voltage.
If you have a vanity mirror in your bathroom - you will find that your bulbs have smaller sockets. That's so that they can jam a lot of fat incandescent lightbulbs together to get just enough heat to cook an egg. These bulbs have a special candelabra base.
If you have a vanity mirror in your bathroom - you will find that your bulbs have smaller sockets. That's so that they can jam a lot of fat incandescent lightbulbs together to get just enough heat to cook an egg. These bulbs have a special candelabra base.
#2: Don't put non-dimmable leds in dimmable sockets
Many led bulbs are not dimmable (kind of like CFLs). These won't work if your sockets are of the dim-able variety. Lookout for the dimmable leds and CFLs for these sockets, they cost more but are better than bulbs that cost less and don't work.
#1: Better bulbs won't cut your energy bills in half
Fact: Heating and Cooling dominated household energy use. Getting efficient water heaters, AC, fridge, etc is an ideal way of reducing your carbon footprint and using less energy. However, upgrading these large appliances costs a lot more mula than bulbs and starting with bulbs is not a bad plan.
That said, if 10% of your bill was lighting and you used only 15% of your previous lighting energy then you could save $ #{your yearly bill} * 0.1 * 0.15 every year. Which is close to 20-40$. It basically pays for itself the first year.
That said, if 10% of your bill was lighting and you used only 15% of your previous lighting energy then you could save $ #{your yearly bill} * 0.1 * 0.15 every year. Which is close to 20-40$. It basically pays for itself the first year.