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Today's Green Lighting

MexiKen | Sep 21, 2009 |

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If you ask me it's about time the environment got the attention it deserves. Fortunately, today we have moved a long ways in the right direction. Obviously there is still very far to go, however it is encouraging to see the progress. You can see it in every aspect of our daily lives from hybrid cars to recycled consumer goods and even reclaimed water. One of the more exciting advances in technology that is also having a positive impact on our global environment involves general home lighting.

It used to be that you had your choice between the typical incandescent light bulb of anywhere from 40, 60, 100 W or even more, or else the long, cold, sickly flickering light of the florescent tube. Not only did the incandescent light bulbs demand a considerable amount of energy and get very hot, they did not tend to last all that long either. And as for the florescent tube option... it was pretty hard to get people excited about having that cold, institutional light feeling for their homes. Between that, and the fact that it took a handful of seconds after you flipped the light switch for the lights to actually come on, it simply wasn't a very appealing or practical solution for home lighting.

Today, thankfully, we have the compact fluorescent light bulb and the LED lights. The improvements and innovations in lighting with these two types of light sources has been nothing short of remarkable. The energy they use is far, far less than your standard incandescent light bulb. They don't get nearly as hot either, and the last many, many times longer. For example, in one modern floor lamp utilizing six new generation LED lights, the life expectancy for those tiny, bright, electricity sipping bulbs is upwards of 40,000 operating hours!

To help put 40,000 hours into perspective, think of it this way. Obviously, there are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. That means that in one year there are 8760 hours. Therefore, 40,000 hours is the equivalent of approximately 4 1/2 years. These little lights are built to burn for 4 1/2 years... in a CONSTANTLY on state. That simply blows me away.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs on the other hand, don't have quite as massive lifespan, but they are, nonetheless, very impressive especially when compared to traditional bulbs. With a lifespan of approximately 8000 hours (or nearly one full year of burning bright), it too essentially nurses the electricity by using only 13 Watts as opposed to the equivalent 60 W incandescent black light bulbs. Technology has also allowed these compact fluorescents to work in an instant on fashion, so the old days of waiting while the light flickered and twisted, debating whether or not to eventually come on, those days are over. Some people claim that the light coming from compact fluorescents is still not quite as warm as your traditional incandescent. While this may be true, the difference is getting narrower and narrower all the time. The lights are not anywhere close to as cold and unflattering as it used to be, and they continue to improve upon the quality of the light.

All in all, the few minor detractions that you might be able to find if you dig around are far outweighed by the tremendous benefits of both compact fluorescent light bulbs as well as LEDs.