What do I do if my incandescent light bulbs have been outlawed and are now unavailable?
Have you found it challenging to find replacement bulbs for your existing fixtures? If you have been using incandescent bulbs or T12 fluorescent in your light fixtures, you may have already discovered that they are being, or may already have been, phased out. Incandescent light bulbs produce light with a filament wire heated to a high temperature by an electric current passing through it, until it glows. 90% of the energy created is expended for heat.
Why are my light bulbs phased out?
In 2014, the incandescent lighting mandate will take effect in the United States and will ban the manufacturing, importation, and sale of incandescent bulbs. Other nations to ban the incandescent include: Brazil, Venezuela, the European Union, Switzerland, Australia, Argentina, Russia, Canada, and Malaysia.
What are my options?
If your goals are to maximize your lighting system investment, then your options for incandescent bulb replacements are:
Okay
- Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) bulbs
- Upside – fairly cost effective, short term solution
- Downside:
- CFLs contain mercury and phosphorus requiring special hazardous disposal
- The light quality of CFL bulbs may not be desirable
- CFLs perform very poorly in cold applications
- CFLs are only designed for vertical applications
- Most CFLs are not dimmable
Good
- Replace your incandescent bulbs with major brand, residential grade LED lamps
- Upside – maximum energy savings
- Downside
- High initial cost
- Longer ROI
- Technology is less advanced than products from independent manufacturers
Best
- Replace incandescent bulbs with new Logical Green Solutions (LGS) LED lamps
- Upside – maximum energy savings and option to upgrade at essentially no cost
- Downside – you will need to find something to do with your extra time and money
Benefits and advantages of Logical Green Solutions’ LED retrofit lamps
- Energy savings of 55% to 85% compared to your existing bulbs
- Less heat generated. Standard filament bulbs generate 90% heat, 10% light
- Reduced maintenance costs due to significantly longer lifetime of LEDs
- 30,000 to 80,000 bulb hours compared to 2,000 to 25,000 bulb hours for traditional
- Reduce parts inventory
- No need to dispose of your existing fixtures, as LED retrofit lamps can be used in almost any interior or exterior fixture
- No need to pay for disposal for fluorescent tubes, CFLs, or ballasts
- Better quality and color of light
- Directed light for better illumination and reduced white sky effect
- Improve security and safety
- “Healthier” light
- Fluorescent lighting has UV has a strong correlation with winter depression (SAD)
- No flickering from fluorescent tubes
- No hazardous mercury, phosphors, or PCBs
- Improve your work environment
- Reduce your company’s carbon footprint
- No need for tube guards in manufacturing or food service applications
- Dimmable LED lights that retain color while dimmed