www.otherpower.com/otherpower_lighting.html
They are VERY inefficient, wasting most of the power they consume as heat. Since lights are one of the biggest power uses in a remote home, pay close attention to what kind you use. If you replace all of your lights with efficient versions, you may be able to get by with fewer expensive batteries and solar panels! You may have noticed that we've made major changes to this page. This is because of new information given to us by some lighting experts regarding lighting efficiency. Our thanks to Don Klipstein and Victor Roberts for the engineering lessons... com's lighting recommendations in a nutshell: For best efficiency, use fluorescents of any type. Install standard fluorescents in workspaces where you can stand the blue-tinged light, hum and flicker. Use compact flourescents in living spaces for a more 'friendly' ambiance. Use halogen lighting for outdoor applications where temperature causes problems with fluorescents. task lights, nightlights, pathway lighting, exit signs, and flashlights. Don't use incandescent lighting at all if you can afford to avoid it. Lighting Efficiency Ratings A standard way of rating lighting efficiency is in lumens per watt--this figure accounts for all of the light produced by a bulb. This rating does not necessarily reflect how much usable light is is thrown on your work area. The reflector and fixture will have a large effect on this. So be sure to read our guidelines for each type of lighting discussed below--lights that show a lower efficiency may still save you energy depending on the application. Comparing the efficiency of a white LED light with a compact fluorescent by measuring the intensity of a tiny spot within the beam does NOT give proper efficiency results.
and most of the light they produced was never measured in the test, since it sensed only light falling on the sensor. but put a reflector behind the compact fluorescent and incandescent bulbs in the test rig and the data would change significantly. Therefore, while the LED lights in this test may illuminate a small area as brightly as other lights, they are NOT significantly more efficient. LEDs can still be a good choice for illuminating your workbench, for example, as long as the light cast onto your small work area is as bright as you need--in this case your LED light could be a good investment for saving power, especially if your old incandescent fixture is also lighting the rest of the room where you don't need the light (like in the Home Power experiment link above). If you try and light an entire living room with an LED fixture, though, you are not saving much--in that case you want a wide dispersal of light, and a fluorescent fixture would be the hands-down winner for efficiency, cost and practicality. Another thing to keep in mind--notice that with current commercial lighting products, the smaller the incandescent bulb, the less efficient it is. For small-sized and lower-light-intensity applications such as task and reading lights, pathway lighting, exit signs, and flashlights, LED lights will be much more efficient than the equivilant small incandescent. This is because fluorescent light products in these small sizes are not available commercially. We are currently researching remote power applications for small cold-cathode fluorescents, which are commonly used to backlight LCD screens. too big to use in anything smaller than a very large flashlight. LED lighting Despite our new information regarding white LED efficiency claims, they are still VERY useful in certain applications. They are an excellent, efficient replacement for the terribly inefficient SMALL incandescent bulbs found in task lights, nightlights, pathway lighting, exit signs, and ESPECIALLY flashlights. As the amount of light needed gets larger (lighting an entire room, for instance) LEDs are only marginally more efficient than a 100 watt incandescent--but a nightlight made with white LEDs is almost three times as efficient as the incandescent it replaces. Also, if run at recommended current levels, LED lights should last tens of thousands of hours, a huge improvement over other lighting technologies. They are also very shock and cold resistant, perfect for portable and outdoor applications. White LEDs Groups of 3-9 white LEDs are effective as reading lamps. Single white LEDs make great pathway lights, and can be left on all the time. Converted LED flashlights have become my favorite lights for fire/rescue and wildland firefighting, since the batteries last 6 times longer, I've never replaced an LED bulb, and light output is more even, though slightly dimmer than the original.
Compact Fluorescent These lights were a huge advance in energy efficient lighting--very efficient, with 10 times longer life than an incandescent bulb. Plus, the light quality (color temperature) is much warmer than normal fluorescents, they fit in most normal light fixtures, and flicker is hardly noticable. Models are available for any application, including spotlights with reflectors. Compact fluorescent bulb We highly recommend these lights in both 120 volts AC and 12 volts DC models. The AC versions are available at any hardware store and are very inexpensive for efficient lights ($8 to $15 each). DC compact fluorescants are more expensive because of limited demand for 12 volt ballasts, but only the ballast is different for AC and DC compact fluorescents--the bulbs are the same! We may soon offer interchangable compact fluorescent bulbs and ballasts for both 12 volt DC and 120 volt AC systems. Currently, interchangable parts are available from Jade Mountain. The only drawbacks to keep in mind for compact fluorescents are 1) they are not very bright at cold temperatures, and 2) the quality of light is still not as good as halogen or incandescent bulbs. I personally use 12 volt DC halogen bulbs for reading lights, while lighting whole rooms with compact fluorescents. Standard AC Fluorescent Lights These really are a very good, energy efficient method of area lighting, and are widely available. Problem is, the quality of light is very irritating to some people. It's too blue, and the flicker is extremely annoying to me. Perhaps this is a reaction to my lifelong aversion to large office buildings with windows that don't open! But fluorescents make great energy efficient lights for shops, garages, etc. where you don't have to spend too much time in the winter. I also use them for under-cabinet countertop lights in the kitchen. Quartz-Halogen Lights These bulbs are only about 15% more efficient than standard incandescents, but are available in 12 volt DC versions. They were a lifesaver for our house--the inverter doesn't have to run to use them, they are more efficient, and the quality of light is excellent for reading or any other use. They fit in ALL standard light sockets, so the monetary investment is low. AC versions are available anywhere, and are still more efficient than standard bulbs. They give out lots of light even in an outdoor situation where its 25 degrees below zero, and last almost 3 times longer than incandescants. We hope to offer 12 volt DC Halogen bulbs for sale on our products page soon, as they are difficult to find--even most RV shops don't carry them, only the innefficient 12 volt incandescents. Halogen Bulb Standard Incandescent Bulbs They give out more heat than light. Popular electricity wasters, seen in almost every grid-connected house. Edison's invention changed the world, but much more efficient lights are available now. Gas Lights A real technological innovation a hundred years ago, these lights are still effective today if you have no electricity and some propane or gasline to burn. Humphrey has been making these lamps for 92 years, they are available from Jade Mountain, Lehmans, and certain Amish catalogs. Coleman lanterns are another familiar gas light--they use white gas that is vaporized in a heated generator tube. Also, the mantles in these lights (and in kerosene mantle lamps) are treated with radioactive thorium--it doesn't pose much of a hazard, but don't carry mantles in your pocket! The thorium from lantern mantles can be used to contruct a home...
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