Eco-Friendly Indoor Lighting Ideas: The FYI on CFLs and LEDs
The most common solution to your lighting needs is to switch from incandescent light bulbs to CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) these CFLs serve the same function as your traditional light bulb and yet put off a fraction of the heat, which saves you money in the summer on your air conditioning and also require a fraction of the electricity providing energy solutions all around. The energy star website has a great guide to CFLs which can be used to answer any questions you may have about their function or uses. Check it out here. CFLs are great solution to most of your lighting woes and come in a large variety of shapes and sizes which can fit any of your lighting needs. For instance the majority of CFLs are designed to fit in open sockets such as table or floor lamps, but reflective CFLs are designed to be used in recessed lighting fixtures which required a more focused beam.
CFLs are only one solution however, LEDs (light emitting diodes) are also becoming more common place. You may have noticed your local traffic lights seem to be brighter and more vibrant. This may be because a large number of cities are changing out traffic lights to newer LED lights which use about 80% less energy annually. The main draw back to LEDs is that they are indeed expensive. You may have noticed Walmart has begun carrying an array of CFLs but that LEDs are few and far between at the retail super-giant. The other main drawback of LEDs is that they are directionally focused and thus good for task specific actions rather than area lighting. Signs, spotlights and security sensors are the main uses of LEDs but hopefully as technology advances and prices become more reasonable we will begin to see more and more LEDs in the home, especially due to their lack of mercury which is the main drawback of CFLs.
You may be wondering about fixtures for these new bulbs I have been talking about. Do not worry, the majority of CFLs and LEDs were designed to fit into your standard sockets and in the event of dimmer switches, some CFLs have been designed to handle just that (check packaging for dimmer options). Also there are a variety of companies which offer various lighting solutions which include fluorescent. Check the links listed below for more options in lighting solutions, and remember that while these bulbs may cost more initially, they will last much longer, and you can always take them with you if you move.
