Fluorescent Efficiency

Neolite CFLs

What are Neolites?
Simply put, Neolites are an improvement on an improvement. What I mean is — compact florescent lighting (CFL) is an improvement over traditional incandescent lighting, which has been in homes for years.

We see incandescent lighting in light bulbs and lamps everyday. They are in our homes and in our workplace. Neolites are an improvement on CFL technology, bringing us an even safer, longer lasting alternative to standard CFLs.

The problem with incandescent lighting is that it produces a harsh unnatural light that can contribute to glare and eyestrain. Not to mention far more costly energy consumption and short life cycles for the traditional light bulbs which has resulted in after-life disposal issues.

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LED Light Bulb

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are becoming far more common for indoor lighting solutions due to their human and environmental safety, cost, and longevity. An LED is a solid-state semiconductor diode that emits light when an electrical current is applied in the forward direction of the device, as in the simple LED circuit. The effect is a form of electro-luminescence where incoherent and narrow-spectrum light is emitted.

LEDs are widely used as indicator lights on electronic devices and increasingly in higher power applications such as flashlights and area lighting. An LED is usually a small area light source, often with optics added to the chip to shape its radiation pattern and assist in reflection. The color of the emitted light depends on the composition and condition of the semi-conducting material used, and can be infrared, visible, or ultraviolet.

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Renewable Clean Energy

Global warming is an urgent, but solvable problem. That is why we have joined the We Campaign, a powerful nonpartisan movement of concerned citizens that was founded by Nobel Prize Laureate and former Vice President Al Gore. View more details by clicking the We Campaign banner to the right, or read on to find out how easy and safe it would be to implement a renewable energy solution for America.

Given the tentative speculations that in 10 years oil will no longer be available to us in the quantities we require, we must strive to produce 100% of our electricity via clean and renewable sources by that time. Oil is not the answer and coal is not the answer.

Here are a few reasons we need to move away from coal and oil, and start investing in renewable resources:

• Even today, half of our electricity is produced by coal rather than oil. OK, but what you may not know is that coal is a top contributer of global warming, and negatively impacts the environment in many other ways. We need to abandon this archaic source of energy for something much cleaner.
• Even ‘clean coal’ power plants do not prevent carbon molecules from being released into the atmosphere. They are absolutely no help to the global warming / clean environment cause.
• Early in 2008, Saudi Arabia committed to producing more oil to alleviate high oil prices. OK, but what you may not know is that since that time the price of oil has actually increased. America has no effect at all on the price of oil. We need to relinquish our dependence on it 100%.
• Wind power is a clean and renewable source of energy. OK, but what you may not know is that the potential for wind power in the US would provide more than 5 times as much electricity as we currently use. In fact, North Dakota alone can provide 33% of the total electricity required by America today.
• Solar power is another clean and renewable source of energy. OK, but what you may not know is that we can harness enough solar power during the day to provide all the necessary electricity needed to operate at night. In fact, by laying solar panels on a 100 square mile patch of land anywhere in the US (think desert land), solar thermal facilities could provide 100% of our electricity needs, day and night.

So, what does that tell you about clean renewable energy resources? By combining wind power, solar power, and by developing additional alternative energy resources such as Ethanol powered and hybrid vehicles, the US could potentially be free of environmentally and economically damaging sources of power.

Support the Challenge

It will certainly take more than just one man to stand up for this movement. Please do your best to support America in this time of energy crisis. Do it for the Earth, for your kids, for your grandkids, but most of all do it because it’s the right thing to do.

Al Gore just challenged the nation to take bold steps towards solving the climate crisis. Click the banner to view his dramatic speech and to add your vote to the petition. Join the We Campaign and support a movement to more efficient, clean, alternative energy.

Solve Global Warming

Halogen Light Bulb

The history of light has not reached its end as of yet. In fact, it has been revolutionized by the new compact fluorescent bulbs now in the market. These new fluorescent bulbs give consumers an alternative to the old halogen light bulbs. Halogen light bulbs are variants of the original incandescent light bulb invented by Thomas Edison. Like incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs are outdated and grossly inefficient. They are also very hazardous, although they are cheap and therefore convenient; they have the ability to create costly damages.

How Halogen Bulbs Work

The reason halogen bulbs are so ineffective and dangerous is in how they make energy. Like incandescent bulbs, they generate energy to create light. The problem, however, is that all the energy they create is not used effectively. Most of the energy created actually causes the bulb to emanate heat reaching extreme temperatures, which can cause burns or even ignite fires, instead of being used for lighting purposes. This in turns means that most of the energy used is wasted, dangerous, and ineffective.

Fluorescent Bulbs Solve the Issues of Halogens

The fluorescent bulb on the other hand solves all three issues. Compact fluorescent bulbs do not use heat to produce lighting but instead use a variety of gasses and electricity. This in turn means that they don’t heat up as much as their counterparts and are safer to use. In fact, several Universities have opted to use these bulbs over the halogen bulbs to prevent accidents.

Not only do these bulbs produce light more effectively but they are more cost effective. Their initial cost may be higher but their long term cost saves money in the end. For example, a halogen bulb can last up to two years whereas fluorescent bulbs have a life of up to five years!

Weighing the Pros and Cons

When the two bulbs are compared, it becomes obvious which one is superior. Yet, as life has it, everything does have its advantages and disadvantages. The fluorescent bulb does hold one consequence: mercury. One of the gasses found in these bulbs is mercury, a contaminant. To this one problem, the fluorescent bulb has two pros though, by being more energy efficient it should reduce the amount of mercury production and can serve as an option to going green, a step to prevent global warming.

The Energy Superstore sells fluorescent light bulbs at discount prices for your convenience.

Save Energy with Fluorescent Lighting

Saving energy helps the environment because most energy sources, such as coal and natural gas are non-renewable. This means that once used, they are gone forever. Additionally, most forms of energy cause pollution that can be a source of greenhouse gases leading to climate change.

How Fluorescent Light Bulbs Work

Fluorescent lighting is manufactured by enclosing gas within glass tubes. Electricity excites the gas, producing light when the gas fluoresces. The fluorescent reaction produces ultraviolet light that is invisible to the human eye. Visible light is created when the UV light subsequently reacts with mercury and phosphorescent chemicals that have also been enclosed in the tube.

Fluorescent light bulbs are available to fit most existing fixtures and offer one of the most energy efficient electric lighting solutions available today.

Here are 5 examples of how fluorescents help save energy and the environment:

1. A greater proportion of the electricity consumed is directly used to produce light, resulting in conservation of energy sources and reduced pollution.
2. Fluorescent lights run cooler than incandescent and so they reduce the costs associated with running air conditioning.
3. The longer life of fluorescents will reduce the number of used bulbs in landfills, particularly since it has been shown that most people will properly recycle fluorescent bulbs when given the opportunity.
4. The EPA estimates that most of the 104 metric tons of mercury introduced into the atmosphere each year by humans is released by coal fired electric plants. Fluorescent light bulbs emit no mercury unless broken or improperly disposed of. Additionally, manufacturers are developing bulbs that operate with much less mercury than older bulbs.
5. Assuming that the lower costs of operating fluorescents will not increase the perceived need for light, consumers should use less electricity if they convert to fluorescent lighting when appropriate.

Wasting Energy is Bad for the Environment

Mankind needs energy for heating, cooking, manufacturing and for transportation. Our lives and lifestyles depend on it. If you consider that the vast majority of that energy is drawn from what are irreplaceable sources: fossil fuels. Certain fossil fuels burn cleaner than others do. Natural gas is very clean, most petroleum products are somewhat dirty, and coal is very difficult to use without dumping a lot of nasty byproducts into the environment.

The Impact of Fossil Fuels

Not only does the use of fossil fuels have a detrimental impact on the environment; the collection of these fuels also can be damaging to the environment. Strip mining and oil spills are just two obvious, awful consequences of fossil fuel collection. Since making and consuming energy has bad effects on the environment and, the acquiring of the fossil fuels has bad effects on the environment, then it stands to reason that the worst sin against the environment is wasting energy. Wasting energy cause both long-term and short-term negative consequences to the environment. This benefits no one.

Energy Waste Can Be Reduced

Waste can come from so many things. Did you know some cars get zero miles per gallon? They are parked cars with their engines running. As stupid as that sounds, what about the lights on in the empty room and the unwatched television or computer? Just as serious, but not as obvious is the waste caused by poor choices. Inefficient indoor and outdoor lighting is such a choice. Just switching away from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lighting would save so much energy.

Choosing Fluorescent Over Incandescent

Incandescent light bulbs use substantially more electricity than fluorescent lighting. They burn out far more often than compact fluorescent bulbs and also require far more energy to manufacture. The light emitted from fluorescent light bulbs is actually brighter than the light emitted by incandescent bulbs watt-for-watt . Incandescent light bulbs give off substantial heat when turned on, which then requires air conditioning and/or high powered fans to keep the room comfortable. Even if you were to ignore the havoc incandescent bulbs wreak on the environment, cost wise they make no sense when compared to fluorescent lighting. Since less light is required, more money is saved, less energy is wasted, which culminates in decreased negative impact on the environment when using fluorescent lighting.

The current price for a barrel of oil ($143 USD on 6/30/08) is going to make many previously wasteful people now start to pay attention to the ways they can start saving energy. As oil prices go up, so follow the prices of electricity and natural gas. People will set their thermostats higher, look for timers to shut off their water heaters during the day, plan their errands to stop making extra trips, wash clothes in cold water and use a clothesline for drying them, and replace incandescent light bulbs with florescent lighting.

Do Your Part

If you want to do your part to help the environment, Step #1 is very simple. The next time you go to the store to purchase light bulbs, make a specific effort to buy fluorescent lighting instead of anything else. To make it even easier, you can order compact fluorescent light bulbs at a discount online right now at The Energy Superstore, and save gas money too.

Step #2 is also pretty simple, turn off lights and appliances when you leave the room. If everyone implemented these two steps, we would see a major decrease in energy consumption and energy waste. Please try to remember to do your part.

Upgrade Your Lighting

Making improvements to your lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills. An average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting. Using new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in your home by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time lights are on but not being used.

Indoor Lighting

Use tube fluorescent and energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in fixtures throughout your home to provide high-quality and high-efficiency lighting. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent (standard) bulbs and last about 4 to 10 times longer.

Today’s CFLs offer brightness and color rendition that is comparable to incandescent lights. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps cost a bit more than incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime. Now available are dimmable fluorescent light bulbs, which operate much like incandescent fixtures.

Indoor Lighting Tips

• Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing these products.
• Turn off the lights in any room you’re not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
• Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
• Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
• Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas.
• Consider using 4-watt minifluorescent or electro-luminescent night lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. The luminescent lights are cool to the touch.
• Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home. Consider carefully the size and fit of these systems when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommoda+te some of the larger CFLs.
• Recessed downlights (also called recessed cans) are now available that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated), are designed specifically for pin-based CFLs, and can be used in retrofits or new construction.
• Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
• If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy, can produce more light (lumens), and do not get as hot as the halogen torchieres. Halogen torchieres are a fire risk because of the high temperature of the halogen bulb.

Outdoor Lighting

Many homeowners use outdoor lighting for decoration and security. When shopping for outdoor lights, you will find a variety of products, from low-voltage pathway lighting to fluorescent motion-detector floodlights. Some stores also carry lights powered by small photovoltaic (PV) modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity; consider PV-powered lights for areas that are not close to an existing power supply line.

Outdoor Lighting Tips

• Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a motion sensor so they will turn on only at night or when someone is present. A combined photocell and motion sensor will increase your energy savings even more.
• Turn off decorative outdoor natural gas lamps; just eight such lamps burning year-round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter.
• Exterior lighting is one of the best places to use CFLs because of their long life. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a lamp with a cold weather ballast since standard CFLs may not work well below 40°F.
• Also consider high-intensity discharge (also called HID) or low-pressure sodium lights.

By implementing some of these tips and strategies, you will save both energy and money. In many cases your home will also be safer due to the decreased fire hazards. Sick of replacing light bulbs and paying high energy bills? Switch to compact fluorescent lighting and you won’t ever go back.