CFL light bulbs electric current which flows through a gas-filled tube, where mercury atoms become excited and release photons. The photons hit the tube's phosphor coating and it fluoresces, or emits visible light. Swap tungsten metal filament, and the filament produces light by glowing white-hot.
Most of the energy used by an incandescent bulb is shed as heat, rather than light, unlike a CFL, which remains cool to the touch. And compact fluorescent bulbs use less than a third of the energy of incandescent ones, and last ten times longer.
While CFLs cost more than incandescents, the price is quickly recouped by the reduction in your energy bill. Plus, each CFL can prevent 450 pounds of power-plant emissions over its lifetime. CFLs now come in a variety of styles and brightness and have coatings that create warmer and whiter light suitable for nearly every room in the house.
Take advantage of ultra-efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) to
add a little safety and peace of mind to hallways, kid's bedrooms,
bathrooms and other spaces.
The technology behind laptop computer
screens, LEDs are greener than standard incandescent, and even
fluorescent, lightbulbs because they generate almost no waste heat.
Most of the electricity used is output as light. LEDs remain cool to
the touch, so they don't add excess heat into living spaces, which
means less cooling is needed. They last for literally hundreds of
thousands of hours, meaning they can go years before they need to be
changed, thereby cutting down on landfill waste.
In terms of
cost, size and brightness, LEDs are getting better all the time, and
are seeing many new applications. Even the best LEDs still aren't
really bright enough for use in primary indoor or outdoor lighting, but
they work great for accent and decorative applications.
Try the CFL Savings Calculator:
http://www.yfsinternational.com/calculator.asp
