Standard incandescent bulbs waste energy.
Standard have been in use for over 100 years. They light millions of homes all over the world and are used in a myriad of other applications like street signs, flashlights and outdoor lighting. In recent years, an increased emphasis on green living has produced a movement toward energy efficient light bulbs. Both types have their advantages and drawbacks.
History of Standard Light Bulbs
Thomas Edison, popularly put forth as the inventor of the modern light bulb, was not the first nor the only inventor working on this world-changing device. He merely perfected and patented the first practical, modern version. Many other inventors including Sir Humphrey Davy, James Bowman Lindsay, James Prescott Joule, Warren De la Rue and Heinrich Gobel worked on similar inventions. The standard incandescent light bulb works on the basic principle of running an electric current through a thin filament of material, utilizing the material's resistance to create heat until it glows. Various improvements have been made over the decades, most notably the change in filament material from carbon to tungsten. Tungsten filaments are more durable, glow brighter, and are easier to produce. Edison considered tungsten as a filament material, but technology of the time was insufficient. With his patent, the basic design of a filament housed within a glass vacuum bulb was born and quickly became the standard for home lighting. Decades of minor refinements and improvements have done little to change the basic idea and design of this amazing achievement.
Drawbacks of Standard Light Bulbs
They get very hot, requiring care in their use and handling. Light bulbs of the improper wattage used in the wrong applications can pose a fire hazard. Standard light bulbs use a lot of electricity. They have a limited life. A standard 100 watt light bulb burns around 1,000 hours before failing.
Advantages of Standard Light Bulbs
Standard light bulbs have many advantages as well. They are cheap to mass produce, are widely available and easily changed when they burn out. They give light almost instantaneously when switched on. They are made mainly of materials which are not hazardous to put into landfills.
High Efficiency Bulbs
High efficiency light bulbs come in two main types: compact fluorescent and LED (Light Emitting Diode). Compact fluorescent bulbs are designed to replace standard light bulbs in most home applications; anywhere you use regular light bulbs, you can use these new compact fluorescent bulbs. They last much longer, as much as 10 times longer than a regular bulb, and are about five times more energy efficient than a standard bulb. They also tend to be much cooler to the touch. By using less electricity, they also reduce the production of greenhouse gases and other pollutants often created by electricity generation.
LED lights are used in flashlights, night lights, pathway lighting and other similar uses. They last much longer than standard light bulbs and use much less energy. They are also much more durable. However in standard applications like room lighting, they are not much better than standard light bulbs.
Drawbacks of High-Efficiency Fluorescents
Compact fluorescent bulbs are much more expensive than standard light bulbs. Many people feel the light quality is inferior to incandescent light. Fluorescent bulbs do not work as well in very cold conditions and may need a very brief period to warm up and emit their full amount of light. The main drawback to these bulbs is that they contain mercury, a highly toxic metal which should never be disposed of in a landfill. This means you can't simply throw away a fluorescent bulb without sending the mercury it contains to a landfill somewhere, where it could eventually find its way into soil or ground water. Services do exist to help consumers dispose of these types of bulbs.
High-Efficiency Incandescent Bulbs
New high-efficiency incandescent bulbs are under development which would double the efficiency of the standard bulb, without the dangers and poor light quality of the compact fluorescent bulbs. They would also, according to General Electric, be less expensive and more cost effective than the high-efficiency fluorescent bulbs.
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