There Are Three Main Choices: Compact Fluorescent, Halogen and LED

When it comes to energy-efficient light bulbs, there are three main choices: compact fluorescent, halogen and LED. Halogen technology is the least efficient alternative. Halogen bulbs are instant-on and don't dim as they get old, as CFLs do. CFLs are real energy misers; they use about 75 percent less electricity than an incandescent bulb. Celia Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports, says based on their tests, CFLs have come a long way. "If your timeline is, ‘I bought a CFL six or seven years ago,’ these don't bear any resemblance to them. If your timeline is, ‘I bought them two or three years ago,’ these have still gotten better,” she said. They're better in several ways. today's CFL’s don't buzz or flicker. The tiny amount of mercury in them is even lower than before -- down 60 to 75 percent in the last few years. And they reach full brightness much faster. "They usually instantly hit about 80 percent of full brightness, and then it take anywhere from 19 seconds to 2 minutes to hit full brightness,” said Lehrman. An LED bulb uses a computer chip to create light. The light is bright and a pleasing color. An LED’s lifespan is amazing -- 20,000 to 50,000 hours. These bulbs are expensive, but the price is dropping rapidly. When you shop for new bulbs, look for the lighting facts panel on the package. It tell you the light output in lumens, and the color temperature using a sliding scale. "Color temperature is sort of how yellow, how warm, how white, how blue the light is,” Lehrman said. “When they say what the color temperature is, they are doing a very good job of nailing that and getting that right." Source: komonews.com