Ordinary, energy-efficient, or LED light bulbs | The best solution?
Ordinary, energy-efficient, and LED light bulbs are available today. You have probably many times been in the dilemma of which lighting to choose for your home, office, company, or backyard. Most of us are comfortable with traditional light bulbs because there been on the market forever. However, when energy-efficient ones appeared, we were curious to try them out, it might be the right solution. Still, after a while, we learned that energy-effect light bulbs are not absolutely safe. Then came the appearance of LED lighting, which at that time was the best option for our market.
Nowadays, we have so many options. Therefore, we should do detailed research about each light bulb and then make the best decision. So the same question remains: which lighting to choose? Ordinary light bulbs are what we use every day, or at least we were using them not that long time ago. They are definitely the cheapest and most widespread lighting worldwide. In the meantime, the options of energy-saving and LED bulbs have appeared. So let’s see what are the factors that you can take into account when you are choosing your lighting.
Different criteria apply in your home or business space, or wherever there are already lights. Namely, classic incandescent bulbs (bulbs, ordinary light bulbs), energy-saving light bulbs (CFL, fluorescent), and new LED bulbs are the simplest choices. Each of these types has a specific way of functioning and produces a certain amount of light from the consumed electricity. We are interested – at what price, that is, how much each one spends and how they affect our health.
Ordinary light bulbs
Ordinary light bulbs are definitely the cheapest and most widespread lighting in our area. The traditional type of lighting has served us with great satisfaction for decades, and somehow we are all used to it. When someone says light bulb, you immediately imagine an ordinary light bulb. Nevertheless, is this still the most suitable lighting for us? Let’s take a 60W light bulb, for example. Its average lifespan is 1500 hours, and with some most common average work of 8 hours a day, the bulbs last for about 0.513 years.
That is around half a year, so you have to buy two ordinary light bulbs each year. Power consumption is 60W for one hour of operation. For example, the electricity consumption of one light bulb that works 5 hours a day, in kilowatts for a year, is about 110 kW / h. Their advantages are that they are very affordable and spread across every store. Also, their price is significantly low compared to other types of light bulbs. And the light emitted by ordinary light bulbs is similar to natural light, so they are pleasing to the eye. Traditional lighting also has its drawbacks.
The regular glass is used for making ordinary light bulbs, and their disadvantage is that they break and damage often. They also heat up easily, so if they work more hours, they are more likely to not last their full working life. Their work is seriously interfered with by variations in voltage. So that if there is an accident, it is possible to damage the throat or the switch. In short: there are more disadvantages than advantages. You may consider switching to another type of light bulb.
Energy-efficient light bulbs
If you have to choose between ordinary, energy-efficient, and LED light bulbs, then you should consider energy-efficient light bulbs. They are far better than ordinary ones when it comes to efficiency. They last up to six times longer than ordinary ones, and electricity consumption is six times lower. For example, an energy-saving 18W light bulb is equivalent to a 60W light bulb. Its average lifespan is 8000 hours, or when operating at 6 hours a day on average, the bulb will last 4.38 years.
Electricity consumption for one bulb is 18W at one hour of operation, or 32.9kw / h per year, with an average operating time of 5 hours per day. The disadvantages of energy-saving light bulbs are that they do not light up at full intensity immediately, which can be inconvenient. Then, one of the problems is harmful radiation. They have a limited number of on and off. These “environmentally friendly” lights, according to research conducted by Dr. Peter Brown in Berlin, are not as safe as claimed. When they are inflamed, they emit phenol and styrene, harmful components that can be dangerous to health.
Phenol, for example, enters the body by inhalation and is critical to the mucous membranes, heart, and respiratory tract. So it is considered that energy-saving light bulbs are harmful because they contain mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin. It has a very negative effect on children and pregnant women. At the same time, it weakens the body’s defenses on the cardiovascular and reproductive systems. It can cause tremors, nervousness, insomnia, memory loss, headaches, Alzheimer’s disease, and even cancer. If they break into the house, you should open all the windows and doors, and go outside for at least twenty minutes, to reduce the impact of toxic ingredients.
LED light bulbs
With the improvement of LED lighting, energy-saving light bulbs have slowly begun to lose popularity. They require different disposal due to failure because they contain mercury. LED lighting has revolutionized shining, because it is now possible to get much better light quality with significant energy savings, in a completely safe way. The advantages of LED lighting are multiple: significantly lower energy consumption, less heating, which allows them to work efficiently in more extreme weather conditions, longer service life, safe use, different intensity and color of light, and much more.
Although they heat much less than other types of light bulbs, LED bulbs also carry a certain dose of heat. It is released through the radiator at the bottom of the bulb. If you place it in a completely closed chandelier, the accumulation of heat can significantly shorten the life of the LED bulb. The light intensity emitted by an ordinary 60W light bulb, we can achieve this effect with an LED light bulb of only 7W. That means that LED lighting is ten times stronger than an ordinary light bulb. LED bulbs last up to nine times longer than ordinary ones and consume the same amount of energy.
The average duration of one LED bulb is about 14 years, the energy consumption is 7W (equivalent to a 60W bulb), so that the consumption of one bulb per year, with an average work of 5 hours a day, is 12.8kW / h. The service life of LED bulbs is 25,000 operating hours. LED lighting does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, which are also harmful to our health and the environment. The only drawback of LED lighting is the price, which is why many opt for cheaper but less efficient variants.
The choice is yours
When we add and subtract everything, we have the answer to our question, which lighting to choose? Ordinary, energy-efficient, or LED light bulbs, what is the best solution? We conclude that it is still the most cost-effective to buy LED lighting. Initial investments may be slightly higher than other types, but they are more profitable in the long run. And far more cost-effective. There is no longer a dilemma about which lighting to choose; all you have to do is choose the shape, design, or color. Here are a few examples and a place to start.
This LED light bulb called “Govee Home” has a Bluetooth Connect & APP Control: With the “Govee Home” App (iOS and Android), connect the bulbs via Bluetooth. Simple operation, no gateway, smarter and more modes available than a remote controller. App supports group control, can control up to 6 bulbs at the same time (Note: Don’t support Alexa/Google).
It also has a Timer & Wake-up: you can set your Govee color bulb to turn on or off at a specific time. When you use the “Sunrise” mode to make the bulb light brighten to help you wake up or use the “Sunset” lets the bulb light darken to extinguish to help you sleep. It has a year warranty and a lifetime of up to 20000 hours. It fits in decorative atmosphere places such as bedrooms, entertainment, courtyard, and table lamps.
