Tips For Picking Out New Light Bulbs

WASHINGTON - There is a long running joke about how many people it takes to change a light bulb, but changing a light bulb isn't so simple anymore. New efficiency standards have gone into effect and that means people who just want to pick up some extra bulbs, end up staring blankly at the shelves, overwhelmed by choices.

Fortunately, Home Depot has lots of helpful people like Daniel Ognianov to guide customers in the right direction.

"It's very confusing, and it's overwhelming," he says kindly. "We have over 100 different bulbs, and that's just the energy efficient ones, not counting the incandescents."

Energy efficient standards were passed by Congress in 2007. Edison's original bulb, the incandescent, wastes most of its energy as heat (which is why you can burn your little fingers if you're not careful!). We are used to calling them by their wattage, but that is the energy they use, not the light they produce.

Manufacturers today can give consumers the same amount of light for a lot less energy. So the old 100 watt incandescent is the first to stop production in January 2012. 75 watts will phase out in 2013, 60 and 40 watts in 2014. In their places is an array of options -- halogen incandescents, compact fluorescents and light emitting diodes, or LEDs.

So how to decide?

"The first thing is the type of area they need to cover, be it living areas, kitchen, work light," says Ognianov.

Location. The first "L" in our lighting lesson. Indoor? Outdoor? Dimmable fixture? Recessed? You got to know where you need it -- before you know what to get.

The second "L" is "lumens."

"Lumens is really a measure of brightness," says Joseph Higbee, the Communications Director for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

The brightness of a 100 watt bulb equals 1620 lumens. Halogen incandescent, CFL, and LED versions provide the same light output for a lot less energy. Instead of 100 watts, the halogen uses 72 watts, which meets the new standard. The CFL uses 23 watts to generate 1600 lumens, and the LED, just 19 watts.

A new Lighting Facts box on the packages, created by the Federal Trade Commission, will tell you how much each bulb saves.

"Saving energy is saving money in this case, so people can choose the type of light they prefer while saving money on their energy bill," reminds Higbee.

Learning that new label -- is a third "L". It has a very important factor: Light Appearance. See, I got turned off (haha) early on to CFLs when I brought one home, put it in my lamp -- and HATED the cold greenish light it emitted. CFLs are much better now, and are available in that warm, soothing glow I prefer.

Higbee points to the back of a CFL package.

"There's a scale from warm to cool, " he shows me.

This one says "2700K / Warm". The K stands for Kelvin, something you won't need to remember but makes you look smart if you do. The lower the K number, the warmer the color. 2700 to 3000 K is in the warm range, while 3600 to 5500 is cool. Home Depot's Ognianov says halogens and CFLs have a wider color range right now, but LEDs will catch up soon.

CFLs have also come down in price - averaging about $2 a bulb. That is about the same as the new halogen incandescents. Halogens are rated to last one to three years, CFLs between six to 10 years. (Note: the ratings are based on three hours of use a day, seven days a week, so many of your fixtures will see less life)

LEDs are the most expensive. A 1600 lumens (100 watt equivalent) costs about $25. It is also the most efficient: rated for 23 years -- almost as long as your mortgage.

"A lot of my customers say they'll take the light bulbs with them," laughs Ognianov.

Remember the "L"s - Location, Lumens and Label - so you don't have to be in the dark anymore.

Light Bulb Resources:

www.drmediaserver.com/CFLGuide/index.html

www.lightbulboptions.org

www.lumennow.org