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In thinking about Energy Star recognition, I'm curious what makes a light fixture Energy Star? I.e., I thought that fluorescent lights use the least amount of energy? Likewise, some bulbs are more or less efficient than others. So couldn't you make basically ANY fixture "Energy Star" if you just use the right bulb?
I ask because I need to replace the fixtures in my kitchen. What's there now are 2 plain, ugly fluorescent fixtures. I want to replace them with something more aesthetically appealing, but I want to be energy efficient too. Beyond the bulb, what else matters?
Mostly, it's the bulb.
Replacing your standard incandescent lamp bulbs
w
/CFLs (compact fluorescent) reduces energy consumption significantly, and the bulbs themselves last for a very long time. These both help with the energy savings - less wattage and longer life.
(just make sure about the length, and the "pins" <connector>)
Here's the government's website about Energy Star. The term itself "Energy Star" is really for manufacturers who have to pass governmental standards for the appliances/products they manufacture, thus earning the right to display the sticker on their goods.
We paid a premium for roof shingles last year which are more energy efficient... not an Energy Star product, but which would qualify for
LEEDs
credits if our city offered them.
W definition
W is a wall cabinet designation, as in W18, can be a stand-in for Wide, or when followed by a / stands for With.
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I would argue that although CFL use less energy they are much more detrimental to the environment. CFLs contain mercury which when disposed of is very toxic. Good old incandescents are much better for rendering good light color although they do use more power. The ideal fixture would use LEDs. They have a very, very long life, not hazardous chemicals and use very little power, they are however also expensive and hard to find.
My spouse is all about getting LEDs for everything, but they're shockingly expensive in comparison to other bulbs, and not readily available, AND the color temps can be "weird".
Our bathroom vanity fixture takes 5 bulbs. We had 5 different types of LED bulbs in there (to test out) and they were ALL different - the one I liked the *least* you could see individual points of red, green and blue light. One was notably green; one notably yellow; 2 were acceptable in color.
I agree with the mercury problem. IKEA has a recycling program for CFLs, you can put used ones in a special bin over by the returns dept.
However it is nice they last so long; the CFLs in our bedside lamps have been burning for about 6 yrs - we've been in the house for 9 yrs, and used standard incandescents first, which were replaced about 1x a year.
There's always a price to pay somewhere. More energy usage; more toxic to dispose of; more expensive
w
/limited availability...
but that's why we can make choices.
W definition
W is a wall cabinet designation, as in W18, can be a stand-in for Wide, or when followed by a / stands for With.
However it is nice they last so long; the CFLs in our bedside lamps have been burning for about 6 yrs - we've been in the house for 9 yrs, and used standard incandescents first, which were replaced about 1x a year.
Gosh, that's been totally the opposite of my experience. The ones I've tried haven't lasted even as long as a regular incandescent bulb. I've come to regard the whole CFL thing as a terrific boondoogle. I love LEDs.
I've had bad experiences with CFL's too - light quality and quantity issues and they just don't last. I keep wondering what I'm doing wrong and if my expectations are out of line.
The only LED's I've seen are strung christmas lights - are they available as replacements for regular incandescent bulbs (threaded bases)?
The only LED's I've seen are strung christmas lights - are they available as replacements for regular incandescent bulbs (threaded bases)?
I haven't seen that so much, but there are places where you can use them in replacement fixtures instead of the one that took incandescents. My current light for my music stand, for example, uses LEDs instead of bulb lighting.
I'm hoping there will begin to more replacements for regular bulbs in existing fixtures. I will say that lighting color can be a bit of a problem the same way it is with CFLs, but not nearly as bad a one.
I was at IKEA recently searching for some lamps, and what really miffed me was that most of them have dimmers - which makes the use of CFL lamps impossible (or at least very impractical)
I finally bought the 'Rutbo' (Asian stype paper lamp with 4 internal sockets for bulbs) and am now about to change that god**** dimmer for a normal on-off switch (which does not have a negative effect on the possible lamp life of the 4 CFLs I put inside and also does away with the nasty humming).
I really wish IKEA would offer more options here that include NOT having a dimmer. Sorry for my rant!
I am still missing affordable LED lamps at IKEA...
Best regards,
Andy
PS: just read the last question in this thread for possible types/brands of LEDs ... There are a lot of LEDs available now as replacement for low-voltage halogen spots, but not so many at IKEA. Some example (but do not know these from personal experience: http://www.ledtronics.com/architectural_lighting.aspx )
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