Abstract

“Incandescent bulbs are one of the most energy-inefficient products in daily use,” Joanna McKittrick says. Touch a regular old 100-W light bulb after it’s been lit for a few minutes, and you’ll see what she means. Less than 5% of the electrical energy that goes into the tungsten filament inside is converted to visible light, explains McKittrick, a luminescent materials specialist at the University of California, San Diego. The rest is wasted as heat that, should you follow our instructions, will burn your fingers. Incandescents “basically haven’t changed since Thomas Edison invented them” about 140 years ago, she says. Bulbs that contain light-emitting diodes (LEDs), on the other hand, can produce the same amount of white light but barely feel warm to the touch. That’s because LEDs are more energy efficient. A 15-to-20-W LED can produce the same brightness as a 100-W incandescent, roughly 1,500 lumens. LEDs are also less

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.