What Is the BEST Light Bulb to Use?

!±8± What Is the BEST Light Bulb to Use?

For several years now we have been inundated with advertising commercials that recommend replacing your incandescent light bulbs with the compact fluorescent bulbs in order to greatly reduce our power consumption. It is true that compact fluorescent bulbs use far less energy in illuminating our homes but is this there is all there is to it? It goes without saying that these bulbs come with a stiff price tag and while their operational lifetime is significantly longer than their incandescent cousin's we ask if this is enough to qualify them as the BEST value in light bulbs. While they offer reduced energy consumption and longevity in service there are several problems with using compact fluorescent bulbs that you are not told about on their packaging.

Recently, Professor Magda Havas of Trent University, Ontario, one of the world's leading researchers on the biological effects of EMF(Electro-Magnetic Field), has written study findings which reveal:

Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) produce radio wave frequencies. These frequencies radiate directly from the bulbs and (also) go on the electrical wiring in the home or school causing poor power quality or dirty electricity. The closer you sit to the bulb the greater your exposure. Because the high frequencies travel along the wire, you can be exposed in other rooms of your home as well as in the room that contains the CFL.

It is very important to note that these CFL's operate at high frequency using an electronic switching ballast to chop up the 120 volts -- that's how they are able to use less energy when compared to the old-style incandescent light bulbs. A typical operating frequency for an electronic ballast would be in the region of 20kHz to 100kHz, a frequency range known to produce adverse effects on one's health when exposed. CFL's are also contain large quantities of Mercury which makes them hazardous to handle in the event that they are broken as well as problematic when you need to dispose of them as they require special handling and disposal by waste management organizations.

So this leaves us still asking, what is the best bulb to use in order to reduce our energy consumption without causing these health problems? LED's otherwise known as Light Emitting Diodes are being hailed as the light source of the future and for very good reasons. Their longevity of service by far out lasts both incandescence's and CFL's and has been measured in some models to last from 50,000 - 100,000 hours. The cost on many of these types of lighting sources is still fairly pricey and the quality can vary depending on where they were manufactured.

Earlier this year a great many suppliers who were relying on Chinese made LED's abruptly canceled their distributions as a result of significant quality issues as a result of numerous LED board failures. However, we have also noted a number of American manufacturing companies that have made significantly improved LED's which to date have experienced a "Zero" failure rate. This emergence now offers greatly improved low voltage and solar powered lighting options which justifies their cost in optimum performance as well as energy usage reductions for both indoor and outdoor lighting systems.