Article Contributed on: 6/25/2008 3:37:27 PM
By John Ward
Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric
www.applewoodfixit.com
A few questions to check your light bulb IQ. The answers could save you money on your monthly utility bills.
- Who invented the light bulb?
- What's a lumen?
- What percentage of energy used by the average incandescent light bulb is wasted in the form of heat?
- How many (fill in the blank) does it take to change a light bulb?
Did you say Thomas Edison invented the light bulb? A popular answer, to be sure. But he was actually beaten to the punch by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, an English physicist and electrician who produced his first experimental light bulb in 1860, nearly 20 years before Edison's first successful test of an electric light bulb in 1879. But Swan turned his attentions to other pursuits, which is why you've probably never heard of him.
A lumen is the equivalent of the light given off by one candle. The amount of light given off by a light bulb is measured in lumens. A watt, on the other hand, is the amount of electricity a light bulb uses to produce light. If you can produce more lumens of light for each watt of electricity used, you can produce the same light for less money. For example, a new 13-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) produces as much light as a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb while using only one-fourth the electricity.
More Heat Than Light
Most homes use incandescent lights, with the familiar shape that that gives light "bulbs" their name. Unfortunately, 90 percent of the energy produced by incandescent bulbs is heat, not light. That makes them highly inefficient light sources.
Regular incandescent light bulbs usually last 750 to 1,000 hours before burning out. Some long-life bulbs last up to 2,500 hours, but are even less energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.
CFLs were introduced in the mid-1980s as an alternative to both traditional fluorescent and incandescent lights.
Compact fluorescents are quieter than traditional fluorescent tubes and can be screwed into incandescent light sockets. Best of all, they run on a quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer. Some models even work with dimmer switches. Definitely worth a try, don't you think?
Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain small amounts of mercury. That means CFLs should be recycled when they're spent. And you should handle any broken bulbs with care. EPA recommends double bagging them in plastic bags before disposal. Conventional tubular fluorescent lamps have been used since 1938 with little concern about handling, and CFLs contain less mercury than the conventional fluorescent tubes.
How many (fill in the blank) does it take to change a light bulb? We'll leave the light bulb jokes to someone else. But if you decide to replace the incandescent bulbs in your home with CFLs, then it only takes one person to do that - you.
Have questions about home lighting? We can help. Contact us at 720-249-5145 or www.applewoodfixit.com.
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(John Ward has owned and operated Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric for more than 35 years. He is a master plumber and recognized as an industry leader for his knowledge and ethical business practices.)