It’s that time of year again. If you don’t wake up bright and early, it’s dark before you know it. In my neck of the woods, sunset is around 5:15 pm. Not only is it a bummer for those trying to squeeze in an outside workout, it means that you’ll be lighting your home to compensate for the lack of sunshine outside. It’s the perfect time of year to introduce LED home lighting (light emitting diodes).

Noah Horowitz, Director at NRDC, wrote over at Huffington Post, that LED lighting could cut our nation’s electricity costs by $13 billion annually. This in turn would save on pollution because that’s how much energy is generated from 30 coal fired power plants annually. Individually, LED home lighting saves more than $125 over the 20 year lifetime of the bulb. With a house full of LEDs, that’s some big savings.

These bulbs have gone from costing $25 per bulb just a few years ago to just around $9 and they’re available at most hardware stores. And your local utility may even offer a rebate of up to $5 per bulb.

With every size, shape, and light quality now available, here are some tips for getting what you want.

According to the Huffington Post:

For example, if you want the light to have that yellowish incandescent bulb look, buy one that says “soft white” and has a color temperature of 2700K. If you prefer more of a cooler, bluish-white look, buy one marketed as “daylight,” which will have color temperature of 5000K or so. Given that preferences vary by consumers, be sure to save your receipt and only buy a few initially so you can test and see which type you like before switching your whole home to LEDs.

And when it comes to getting ready for the holiday season, choose LED string lights. Today they’re available in just about every size and color.

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The post It’s Dark Outside, Invest in LED Home Lighting appeared first on EcoSalon.

Anxious about the incandescent light bulb ban? Don’t be. We’ve got all the info you need to find affordable alternatives.

I find it a little bit ironic: we use the incandescent light bulb as a metaphor for good ideas, but one of the best ideas to emerge from government in recent years was getting rid of it! That’s right, the incandescent light bulb, that hot, fat, inefficient luminary, is about to become extinct.

In 2007, George W. Bush (surprising, I know) ratified a bipartisan law that called for a ban on manufacturing incandescent light bulbs due to the fact that they’re toxic and waste a ton of energy. The phaseout started in 2012 with 100-watt bulbs being eliminated, and then last year, 75-watt bulbs got the boot. This month, the final stage of the phase our went into effect, banning the manufacture of 60-watt and 40-watt bulbs. If you had no idea any of this was going on, it’s just further proof that this ban won’t hurt the economy or plunge us into the next Dark Age, but there are still critics and fear-mongers who claim it’s an outrageous thing to do.

To them I would say, what’s more outrageous: that the government would dare nudge people and industry toward a more efficient light bulb, or that some Congresspeople would fight tooth and nail to retain a technology that wastes millions of dollars every year? But I digress.

Despite the fact that the recent budget deal will hamper the Department of Energy’s ability to enforce the new law, it’s important for we the consumers to be proactive. Why wait until there’s not an incandescent light bulb left on the shelves to decide on a replacement? Read on as we discuss the eco-friendly, affordable alternatives that you should look for instead.

3 Affordable Alternatives to the Incandescent Light Bulb

1. Compact Fluorescent Bulb (CFL) – Uses 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs.

Pros: Cheap, easy to find in any grocery or retail store, fully compatible with traditional light fixtures, average expected life span is 10,000 hours (compared to 1,200 for an incandescent light bulb).
Cons: Contains mercury which is toxic if the bulb breaks and makes it hard to dispose of properly; sometimes takes a few minutes to reach full brightness, sometimes delivers a harsh, cold glow. Some also say that CFL lifespans have been greatly exaggerated. See this list of conditions that can cause CFLs to burn out more quickly.

Learn more: EnergyStar guide to choosing a CFL.

2. Halogen Bulbs – Uses 10-20 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs.

Pros:  Fairly easy to find, same look and feel as incandescent, no heat-up time like CFLs, dimmable.
Cons: Wastes a lot of energy as heat, light can be too intense for some applications, doesn’t last that much longer than an incandescent light bulb.

Learn more: ConsumerSearch halogen light bulb review.

3. Light Emitting Diode (LED) – Uses up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs.

Pros: Wastes very little energy as heat, cool to the touch so it’s safer, average expected life span is 50,000 hours which blows both CFLs and halogens out of the water.
Cons: Initial cost is higher than other bulbs–but this is rapidly declining as manufacturers continue to develop cheaper LEDs that are compatible with traditional light fixtures.

Learn more: CNET’s review of the best LED light bulbs.

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