Saving energy helps the environment because most energy sources, such as coal and natural gas are non-renewable. This means that once used, they are gone forever. Additionally, most forms of energy cause pollution that can be a source of greenhouse gases leading to climate change.
A simple explanation of how fluorescent bulbs work will illustrate 5 examples of how using fluorescent bulbs will help us save energy and the environment.
How Fluorescent Light Bulbs Work
Fluorescent lighting is manufactured by enclosing gas within glass tubes. Electricity excites the gas, producing light when the gas fluoresces. The fluorescent reaction produces ultraviolet light that is invisible to the human eye. Visible light is created when the UV light subsequently reacts with mercury and phosphorescent chemicals that have also been enclosed in the tube.
Fluorescent light bulbs are available to fit most existing fixtures and offer one of the most energy efficient electric lighting solutions available today.
Here are 5 examples of how fluorescents help save energy and the environment:
1. A greater proportion of the electricity consumed is directly used to produce light, resulting in conservation of energy sources and reduced pollution.
2. Fluorescent lights run cooler than incandescent and so they reduce the costs associated with running air conditioning.
3. The longer life of fluorescents will reduce the number of used bulbs in landfills, particularly since it has been shown that most people will properly recycle fluorescent bulbs when given the opportunity.
4. The EPA estimates that most of the 104 metric tons of mercury introduced into the atmosphere each year by humans is released by coal fired electric plants. Fluorescent light bulbs emit no mercury unless broken or improperly disposed of. Additionally, manufacturers are developing bulbs that operate with much less mercury than older bulbs.
5. Assuming that the lower costs of operating fluorescents will not increase the perceived need for light, consumers should use less electricity if they convert to fluorescent lighting when appropriate.
Just based on these facts alone, we can see that converting to a fluorescent lighting society is best for everyone. Businesses and consumers will both save money and energy, benefiting not only the environment, but also the budget.
It may be too late to completely avoid problems like global warming, but there is no need to abuse electricity and energy. Anything that we can do to decrease landfill waste is also a huge plus, as we are slowly running out of room to dump our garbage. Simply by switching from incandescent and halogen lighting to fluorescent lighting, you are doing your part to help the Earth.
When I was younger, my mother always yelled at me for turning the lights on and off rapidly, but i suppose i never understood why, and to this day still. If I use a light for 5 mins and turn it off leave for 10 mins and come back to turn it on for 5 more, am i using more energy than keeping it on for 20 mins straight? Thanks!
hopefully information on Incandescent, CFL, and Fluorescent lights could be explained to me! thanks!
I noticed on the top of most lighting fixtures, it states to only use the 60W bulb throughout the house. I, Instead, screwed a 100W CFL (uses 23W) in, and I am much more pleased with the lighting. It’s brighter and warmer. Is this a fire hazard? I really don’t need to light exploding when I’m working. Haha.
Home always is one’s top priority and it reflects one’s personality. So it is our most concerned area, so we should take atmost importance to see that it is well organized and well lit. If you’re lighting is not adequate then how ever you keep tidy and purchase best of furniture, your home will look dull and tasteless.
It has been seen that when it comes to decorate a new house or its improvement top most priority always goes to furniture’s, curtains, sofa sets, pictures and other decorated items and lightings takes the last priority . But it should be other way, because lighting will create or reduce your home beauty. You tend to use your funds towards other items and when lighting comes you have less funds and you tend to compromise with it.
But you must understand that it is the lighting which will brighten your home and add colour to your house and your interior decoration. It is unfortunate that lighting is always neglected.
To understand lighting you must understand some definition like lux, color rendering, flux, energy efficiency, and efficacy.
Flux: Flux means the light output given by a bare lamp. And the unit is Lumens.
Lux: Lux can be defined as the light output or flux in a particular direction per unit area. Unit of lux is candela.
Color rendering: Color rendering can be defined as the color you get compare to the natural colors that is sun light. In sun light you get the perfect color.
Energy efficiency: Now a day’s energy is most important, energy saved is energy produced. So energy efficiency can be defined as with less energy used or wattages you get maximum light output. That is why you see CFL’s (Compact florescent lamps) T5 lamps in the markets. Because most talked about is energy efficiency. Day by day cost of electricity is increasing and saving energy has prime importance to all and every country.
Let us take a case study about your drawing room.
Drawing room is the first place where a guest comes or the place you sit with your children and other family members and watch your favorite TV Soaps. So you must understand the importance of it in your life. So you should take most care in putting light. Lighting your drawing room should be seen not only in the angle of science, but also in the angle of an artist. Why I have said this because if you see only in the angle of science , you put formula of lighting designing then you get the numbers of lights required, but your drawing room is place of important , so also be seen in the eye of an artist. Lighting will differ according the moods. You may not always required bright light, but some times you may required only a spot light or reading light near your sofa.
What I intend to say is that lighting should not be seen as put formula and get result? Lighting differs in different times and different moods.
In drawing room one should use diffused lighting, some indirect lighting, some spot lighting with CFL or Miniature halogens (MR16) or a mixture of both. Some table lamps for studying purpose and some general lighting. for all purpose.
Diffused lighting will not give glare to eyes and gives smoothening touch. This is used for general purpose. But you have a party at home or you have got special guests then apart from general lighting you can also light your spot lights or high lighters to high light some of your decorative pictures or statues. Put indirect lighters ,up lighter to high your ceiling and get indirect lighting.
Suppose you have a dinner or cocktail party then the mood is different , that time you can put indirect lighting one or two spot lights to give an party or leisure ambience or atmosphere . Suppose you are in romantic mood and sitting with you wife you can create a romantic ambience by putting on jummes and one or two indirect lighting only to create romantic atmosphere.
You are not in good mood you can use indirect lighters only. Or you want to study then you can have only the table lamp lit for you study.
See why I have said that lighting should not be seen only the angle of science, because lighting will change as per your requirements or moods. Lighting should not be more it will irritate or give glare if lighting is not adequate then it will create dull effect. Lighting also will differ in different places to give different ambience. To give a warmth or welcome effect you can have warm day light. Like 2700 k(Kelvin) lamps , to give cool effect or give assurance you can have cool day lights 6500k (Kelvin) lamps. See light is a vast subject of its own. LIGHT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.
Have you found a home without lights? Indeed, light fixtures are no longer meant of decorations. They are already considered as necessities. However, there is a problem. Not all actually know how to pick the most ideal illuminating pieces for them. It’s one of the reasons why there is not enough light in the room or there’s too much. They are spending thousands of dollars for a lot, when they can only have one. They exactly don’t know which to choose among the designs and which should be indoors and outdoors. Today, you can make these tips handy.
1. Select the best type of finish for your homes. There are a lot of light finishes that you can choose from. There are brass, nickel, antique, iron, white, black, and a whole lot more. However, since according to design you should achieve balance and consistency, it’s best to settle for just one kind of finish for all your light fixtures. If you don’t have any idea what, you can determine the theme you want to have. Rustic homes will always have brass- or vintage-inspired lights. More modern homes can have lighting pieces with industrial finish. If you want something monochromatic, you have black, white, and brown.
2. Go for lights that are energy efficient. There are already bulbs today that are more environment friendly, not to mention very easy on the pockets. These include CFLs or compact fluorescent lights, and LEDs, or light emitting diodes. They consume very less energy, but they can provide high level of illumination. CFLs have very long shelf life, so you won’t have to change them very often. They are also more affordable and are readily available. Most of all, you can save as much as 60 percent of light energy because of them.
3. Know the reason for the lights. Where are you going to place the light fixtures and what would be their use? These will help you determine which of the many types you should choose for your home. If you need to lighten rooms, you need to pick the ambient type. Then smaller ones and are more used to perform a specific job is the task kind. There are also those that are mainly for decorations than illumination. A typical example is a chandelier. There are also certain types of light fixtures that are installed outdoors for security reasons, under the cabinets or closets, as well as in artworks such as paintings.
4. Decide how much you’re willing to spend on the lights. Light fixtures can come in wide variety of prices, so it’s easy for you to set up a budget. Of course, the simpler the lighting piece is, the cheaper it could be. You should also take note not only of the design but what it’s made of. If it’s composed of pure solid iron, it will tend to become more expensive, more so when there are other accents that are being added into the light fixtures. Chandeliers, for example, are costly because of the glass crystals.
13 watt cfl running constant
13 watt cfl…. the sensors are set to turn lights off withing a 30 second period. they are set in the halls of a small apt community (mid level traffic)
I recently broke a CFL bulb. It was a black light made by Globe.
Now I’ve read that these bulbs contain mercury and isn’t enough to harm most people. But then I also read the precautions for cleaning up after the bulb breaks. So if it isn’t harmful why do we have to be so careful cleaning up the mess. Anyways the bulb broke beside my bed on the table, so I don’t know if I should sleep in it or what to do with the pillows or sheets…. Any suggestions or solutions?
Mercury is poisonous, yet it’s a critical part of most compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), the kind that environmentalists and some governments are pushing as a new way to cut energy consumption. Mercury is probably best known for its effects on the nervous system. It can also damage the kidneys and liver, and in sufficient quantities can cause death.
There were an estimated 150 million CFLs sold in the United States in 2006 and, and Wal-Mart alone hopes to sell 100 million in 2007. Some scientists and environmentalists are worried that most are ending up in garbage dumps. U.S. regulators, manufacturers and environmentalists note that, because CFLs require less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs, they reduce overall mercury in the atmosphere by cutting emissions from coal-fired power plants.
But some of the mercury emitted from landfills - in the form of vaporous methyl-mercury - can get into the food chain more readily than inorganic elemental mercury released directly from a broken bulb or even coal-fired power plants, according to government scientist Steve Lindberg.
“Disposal of any mercury-contaminated material in landfills is absolutely alarming to me,” said Lindberg, emeritus fellow of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The mercury content in the average CFL — now about 5 milligrams — would fit on the tip of a ballpoint pen, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and manufacturers have committed to cap the amount in most CFLs to 5 milligrams or 6 milligrams per bulb. To prevent mercury from getting into landfills, the EPA, CFL makers and various organizations advocate recycling. Besides commercial recyclers and some municipal waste collection services, some retailers accept used CFLs.
IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings chain, has free drop-off programs at all of its 234 stores, 29 of which are in the United States. Now advocacy groups are calling on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other big chains to get involved.
One problem with recycling is that it isn’t cheap. The value of the metal, glass and mercury reclaimed from recycling fails to offset the cost of the process. Costs can range from 20 cents to 50 cents per bulb - not a paltry sum when some CFLs sell for less than $2 at Wal-Mart.
But, compared with the overall lifecycle cost of buying and using a bulb, recycling would be less than 1 percent. Another obstacle lies in the fragility of the bulbs and their mercury content.
The U.S. government has no single recycling plan in mind. Among the alternatives are special curbside collections by municipalities, mail-back programs by manufacturers and drop-off programs at various places, including retail stores that sell CFLs, he said.
Some methods lend themselves to certain geographic areas more than others, because of differences in population density, transportation infrastructure and proximity to recycling sites.
State laws are also a factor. Federal regulations mandate recycling of fluorescent lighting, while exempting households and other small users. Some states, however, are strict. For example, California no longer allows anyone to throw CFLs in the trash, while Massachusetts requires manufacturers to implement recycling programs and meet certain targets.
As technology advances, however, mercury could become less of an issue, at least as far as light bulbs are concerned. Last month General Electric Co. said it was working on doubling the energy efficiency of incandescent lights and eventually developing versions comparable with CFLs. These bulbs, which the company hopes to begin marketing in 2010, will cost less than fluorescents but they won’t last as long.
Meanwhile, some environmentally minded consumers in Dallas, Houston and throughout Texas are embracing CFLs and doing their best to dispose of them responsibly.
Lighting creates, recreates the ambience and face lifts the beauty of Garden. Lighting plays a very important key factor for any use whether for Domestic, Industrial, Flood Lighting, and Commercial or for Garden.
Garden adds glamour, soothening sensation to the atmosphere. So people can enjoy garden in night also. Most people go to the garden to have fresh air which acts as a recreation agent.
Types of luminaries available for Garden Lighting.
1) Post Top Lighting 2) Flood Light, 3) Bollards, Path Lighters LCD Embedded lighting.
In general lighting for garden your can have HPSV, HPMV, Metal halide type Post top Lighting. For entrance of the garden you can put Post Top Garden Lights with different shapes and sizes. A post type Light for gate, enhances the beauty as well as security of the house. Keeping energy conservation in mind, now a days you get different CFL type post type fitting, energy efficient. Which will not only color to your garden but will bring ministrations to gate lighting.
Now we can go further in to the garden, which may have number of shrubs, trees, flower pots etc. To high light those trees, shrubs you can put flood lights from bottom or put bollards in between two trees or shrubs. You can put filters on the flood lights to bring different colors, to change the ambience.
Path lighters
For paths in the garden you can have path lighters with CFL’s types or latest LCD types. This will enhance ambience and bring vintage look.
Vintage Look
Some public garden use Vintage type Post Top Lantern with vintage type design poles. These will bring memories of old or vintage, or British type look to the garden.
LCD
Now a days architects and end users are using LCD type embedded garden fittings which are energy efficient as well as enhances beauty and light to the garden.
Public Gardens
For public garden you can use combination of CFL, Vintage type and some flood lights to light the garden and bring colors and enhance the ambience.
So, to have your garden Lighted you have number of choices which are mentioned above, which are energy efficient, enhancing the beauty as well increasing the ambience & flavor to your taste.
only be economical if left switched on for long periods?
does it make any difference if dimmers are used?
pls answer on find outs facts only