Light Bulbs for People Who Don’t Want to Use CFL Bulbs

With the incandescent light bulb ban coming up a lot of people are
worried about having to use CFL bulbs. CFL bulbs contain mercury and
have other shortcomings that are of concern to some people. The truth is
there is no ban on incandescent bulbs at all but new regulations that require increased efficiency.
These regulations allow all types of light bulbs to continue being
manufactured, even incandescent bulbs. While some of the shortcomings of
the CFL bulbs have been fixed (for instance, the light from newer CFL
bulbs is more natural and not that I’m-in-a-horror-movie-dream-sequence
pale blue), there are other efficient light bulbs on
the market.

Introductory picture was taken by me

Halogen Incandescent Light Bulbs

As soon as the incandescent ban was introduced in Congress light bulb companies started developing more efficient incandescent light bulbs. They decided to use halogen in the incandescent light bulbs. The halogen allows the tungsten in light bulbs to redeposit on the filament, extending the life of the light bulb and increasing its efficiency. Halogen incandescent bulbs are the most similar to traditional incandescent bulbs and are made specifically to be new and improved incandescent bulbs.

EcoVantage Halogen Bulbs
Halogen Incandescent Hybrid

These are the 60 watt equivalent, 75 watt equivalent, 100 watt soft white, and 100 watt natural light.

                  

GE Reveal with Halogen

                       These are the 60 watt equivalent, 75 watt equivalent, and 100 watt equivalent.

                                         

Bulbrite Halogen Light Bulbs

                      These are the 60 watt equivalent, 75 watt equivalent, and 100 watt equivalent.

                                        

LED Light Bulbs

LED (light emitting diodes) technology has been around for a long time. Only recently, however, have LEDs been used to create light bulbs. While LED light bulbs are expensive, they last from ten to twenty years.
The price of LED bulbs seems to be dropping fairly quickly. Looking
around at Amazon it looks like LED bulbs are about $30 on average now.
That would be $3 a bulb per year. If you change an incandescent light
bulb more than three times a year (assuming it costs about $1), then you
would save money by investing in LED bulbs.

Read More About LED Light Bulbs

Introduction to LED Light Bulbs
LED light bulbs are a great way to do your part for the environment. Visit HowStuffWorks to learn all about LED light bulbs.

US$3 LED light bulb lasts 60 years, could end battle of the bulbs
Cambridge University researchers have developed cheap, light-emitting
diode (LED) bulbs that produce brilliant light but use very little
electricity.

Ambient LED

These are the 40 watt equivalent, 60 watt equivalent, 75 equivalent, and 100 watt equivalent.

                      

Electronically Stimulated Luminescence

A new type of light bulb has hit the market. Electronically Stimulated Luminescence bulbs use the process of cathodluminescence. For now they are only available as 60 or 65 watt alternatives, but Vu1 is working on creating brighter ESL bulbs.

Vu1 enters $15 bulb in efficient-lighting race
Vu1 will sell a flood light that uses 70 percent less power than
incandescent bulbs at Lowe’s for just under $15 and has plans for an
Edison-shaped bulb. Read this blog post by Martin LaMonica on Green
Tech.

Buy Vu1 ESL Light Bulb
65 Watt replacement ESL bulbs available at Destination Lighting.

What Does the Future Hold?

With light bulbs becoming increasingly more efficient, what does the
future hold for lighting? Phillips has already begun work on a lamp that
utilizes bioluminescent bacteria. The bacteria feed on methane that is
provided by household waste. A lamp like this would not only use no
outside energy (the ultimate in energy efficiency), but it would also be
an effective way to recycle household waste.

Bacterial Lamp Can Eat Your Sewage and Light Up Your House
The Bio-light uses bioluminescent bacteria that are fed by a home’s
methane digester. It can also use fluorescent proteins that emit light.

If You’re Going to Stock Up on Incandescents…

If you don’t like halogen bulbs because they burn hotter than regular bulbs
(a legitimate concern) and you don’t want to spend all of that money on
LED bulbs and you don’t like CFL bulbs and you’ve absolutely decided to
stock up on incandescent bulbs, then stock up on long-lasting
incandescent bulbs. Instead of halogen, some light bulbs have krypton in
them to prolong their life. These krypton incandescent bulbs last ten
years and are about as cheap as regular bulbs, so stock up on light
bulbs that will last. They don’t burn as hot as halogen bulbs, but they are not quite EISA compliant.

Krypton Light Bulbs

                                                 These are 60 watt, 75 watt, and 100 watt

                                        

Further Reading

Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
The complete text of the EISA. The light bulb part is section 321.

Is There a Ban on Incandescent Light Bulbs?
An article that discusses the EISA and light bulbs.

Energy-Efficient Bulbs: Halogen Vs. Fluorescent Vs. Incandescent
Some light bulbs are better than others for the environment, and in
order to find out which ones are better, simply compare them by how much
energy they need to produce light.

How to Save Energy and Money with Alternatives to CFLs
Most consumers probably own at least a handful of compact fluorescent
bulbs, but many also have experienced problems with CFLs. There are
other energy efficient light bulb alternatives.

Kill The Myth: Incandescent Bulbs Are Not Banned
The race is on to build better incandescent bulbs that meet the next generation of energy standards. But there’s a ban, you say?

Bulb In, Bulb Out
An article from the New York Times about the light bulb restrictions.

Almost Time to Change the Bulb
More from the New York Times about the different types of light bulbs.

Philips’s L Prize bulb is efficient, expensive, and available
Philips’ newest bulb, the commercial offering based on the model that
won the Department of Energy’s L Prize, might be $60, but it’s an
incredible piece of lighting technology and it’s a sign of things to come for this rapidly changing industry.