Changing a Light Bulb: There’s More to it Then You Think

Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the incandescent light bulb. In reality, it was a long process consuming about 80 years, with the involvement of more then 20 inventors. Edison gets most of the credit as in 1880 his was the first to develop the long lasting filament. Further more it was his development of the whole electrical system required to place lighting in homes across America, that secured his position as the Father of electricity in those early days.

The incandescent bulb, as we know it, consists of a glass bulb, filled with an inert gas at a very low pressure (vacuum). Inside this glass bulb is a Tungsten filament, which glows brightly when electricity passes through it. Simple and straightforward, though inefficient, and by today’s standards costly to operate.

What exactly does an incandescent light produce? Light, that’s rather obvious as that is the purpose of the bulb. Another, be it undesired byproduct, is heat. Heat is electrical energy going to waste. More importantly the heat generated by the bulb is also the major cause of its self destruction. Over time the filament becomes more brittle, and deteriorates to the point that eventually it Burns Out. The term alone exemplifies the failing characteristics of incandescent lighting.

Fluorescent lighting technology progressed through the same time line as incandescent lighting. Again with many inventors working toward the same goal. Even Thomas Edison explored florescent lighting, receiving a patent in 1907. His interest wained as fluorescent technology was considerably more complicated and expensive. With the success his incandescent lighting was experiencing, there was little motivation to continue with fluorescent lighting.

One of Edison’s past employees, Daniel McFarlan Moore became the first to install fluorescent lighting in commercial settings in 1904. For most of the 20th century fluorescent lighting has been the chosen source of lighting in industrial settings. Office buildings around the world rely on the familiar 4′ long tubes. Long recognized for their longevity, energy efficiency, and cost effectiveness.

Incandescent lights actually produce light with only about 2 percent of the energy applied. The rest is lost in heat. Fluorescent lighting converts as much as 15 percent of the energy applied into light, a considerable reduction in heat lose. An added side effect with less heat the bulbs last considerably longer.

Enter the Compact Fluorescent Lamp, in the late 20th century the world has become environmentally conscious. No longer is it acceptable to release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The standard fluorescent tube contains Mercury and other chemicals, none good for the environment. The majority of our electrical power is generated by burning fossil fuels. With concerns of depleting resources, conservation and energy waste are now hot button subjects.

Invented in 1973 by Ed Hammer, an employee of General Electric, the Compact Fluorescent Lamp has gained in popularity. With a life span of 10-15 times longer then incandescent, and power usage at a fifth of incandescent, they have become an easy sell to the public.

Country’s all over the world are jumping on the band wagon, Australia has outlawed incandescent bulbs effective in 2010, Canada plans the same for 2012, and Finland in 2011. Here in America corporations have held CFL give away promotions, Home Depot taking the lead giving away a million CFL’s on Earth day 2006.

Requiring no special fixtures, to change from old inefficient incandescent to the new eco-friendly Compact Fluorescent Lamp, upgrading is as simple as unscrewing the old out of date incandescent bulb, and screwing in a new Compact Fluorescent Lamp in its place.

So How Many People Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb ? Apparently quite a few.