Incandescent Bulb Ban

You may or may not be aware that the US government began phasing out incandescent light bulbs for general lighting starting in 2012, in favor of more energy-efficient lighting alternatives.  The ban affects standard incandescent bulbs between 40 and 100 watts. 

Now you might be asking yourself what are the alternatives to the incandescent bulb for lighting my home in Lexington?  There are 3 main alternatives, halogens, CFL’s (compact fluorescents) and LED’s (light emitting diodes).  These different bulbs are pictured above in that order with a standard incandescent first. 

Halogen bulbs are typically used in flood or recessed lights; however, they do make them in a standard bulb which looks just like a regular incandescent.  Halogens use less power than incandescent bulbs and last longer, but they are more expensive and burn very hot.  Generally the life of a halogen is about double that of a standard incandescent.

CFL’s use about a quarter the energy of an incandescent bulb and have a life that is about 7 times greater. However, they are more expensive and contain mercury which makes it dangerous if you break a CFL.  They also do not turn on immediately as they have to warm up.

LED’s use the least amount of power and last the longest(between 3-6 times longer than CFL's).  They contain no mercury and remain cool while operating.  The downside to LED’s is the cost.  Although they have come down greatly in price since their release they are still the most expensive option in terms of upfront costs.  On the positive side, over time, LED’s easily pay for themselves versus the cost of the other bulbs due to the small amount of energy they use and how long they last.

So, once your standard incandescent bulb is no longer on the shelf at your local Lexington store you will need to make a decision on which type of bulb to start using.  Threewire Electric recommends swapping out your current incandescent bulbs when they burn out with LED's.  If you're only replacing a couple at a time, the extra upfront costs of the LED's is not that great. 

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