Household Lighting Choices
A halogen lamp, known as tungsten halogen, quartz halogen or quartz iodine is an incandescent lamp that has a small amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine added. This combination of the halogen gas and the tungsten filament produce a halogen cycle chemical reaction. It produces bright light but is dangerously hot and therefore expensive to run.
A Compact Fluorescent light contains a mixture of argon and mercury gases that produces invisible ultraviolet light (UV) when the gas is excited by electricity.
A light emitting diode (LED) contains electrons that recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons and illuminating the bulb.
Lights are now measured in Lumens and this number is shown on the outside of the packing box. ‘Lumens’ is a measurement similar to ‘illumination’ and indicates the amount of light which is produced.
- With the old style 60 watt globe you ended up with a lumens measurement of around 800.
- Now the LED equivalent producing 800 lumens is around 12.5 watts. The 12.5 watts of energy produces 800 lumens. With the old style bulbs 60 watts of energy produced 800 lumens - but at the extra cost of qround 47 watts of power used up in heat.
- What does this mean?
- LED’s are cheaper to run by around 75-80%.
- LED's cost more to purchase but are slowly becoming less expensive. They are an excellent alternative in the long run to help keep lighting cost down.
- Costs differ somewhat, depending on variables such as light source and the degree of coverage area required.
Click this link for a guide from Energy Australia to the cost of your home appliances
