In an earlier article titled "How to cut down on your
energy consumption and save money" I did not incorporate
lighting as a way to reduce your energy use as it was
considered to be a subject on its own.
When designing a new build you should be looking at day
lighting, sunpipes and rooflights; Systems to convey as
much natural light into your house. You should consider
the function of each room within the house because each
room will have its own specific lighting requirements.
You would consider:
- The general lighting of a room;
- Localized or task lighting i.e. intense light for
carrying out such activities as reading, sowing or cooking;
- Accent or mood lighting to create atmosphere or to focus
attention on certain objects or areas;
- The type of lighting best suited for the task;
- The type of light bulbs required for the job; and
- The energy requirement for the lighting.
Light bulbs:
What can I say about light bulbs without opening a can of
worms?
As I've mentioned in a previous post I have installed LED
light bulbs in some areas of the house. I have also
replaced some 60W incandescent light bulbs with 11W energy
saving light bulbs. However the energy saving light bulbs
come with all sorts of restrictions one of which is that it
cannot be used with a dimmer switch. I also have a compact
fluorescent light (CFL) bulb in one room. CFL's are being
pushed as the lifesaver when it comes to saving energy.
I find myself at odds with governmental policies to ban the
energy-inefficient but electro-magnetically clean
incandescent bulb in favor of the energy saving light
bulbs, CFL's and LED's. Surely it should be up to you to
choose what you use. But then we live in democracies don't
we?
If energy-inefficient but electro-magnetically clean
incandescent bulbs are to be banned surely they should also
light bulbs that produce radio frequency pollution.
The packaging of some compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs
do warn about the radio frequency pollution of these bulbs
by inferring that the light bulbs could interfere with
radio reception.
If you want to, it is something that you can check with a
portable radio on AM. The radio will start to buzz as you
bring it close to an energy efficient light bulb. This
electromagnetic interference (EMI) will be of concern to
anyone using wireless technologies such as mobiles or
wireless computers.
CFL's have also been found to produce high frequency
radiation, which travels around household electrical
systems and causes radiation throughout homes (and other
premises). Because the high frequencies travel along the
wire you can can also be exposed to them in other rooms of
your home including the room that contains the CFL.
However, the real problem is that these frequencies are
making people ill. Organizations such as the British
Association of Dermatologists, the Migraine Action
Association and Epilepsy Action have all described illness
amidst their members who have tried compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulbs. The most common symptoms are headaches,
including migraines, fatigue, confusion, dizziness, ringing
in the ears, eyestrain, nausea and skin irritations.
Not only do we have human health problems associated with
exposure to these compact fluorescent light bulbs
(CFLs)there is also the environmental problems these bulbs
pose due to to the fact that they contain mercury, a
neurotoxin that can cause kidney and brain damage.
As long as the mercury is contained in the bulb, CFLs are
safe from the environmental aspect. But eventually, any
bulbs - even CFLs break or burn out and most consumers
simply throw them out in the rubbish where they will end up
in landfills and this poses a huge threat to the environment
And its just too bad if you should accidentally break one
these new eco-bulbs. One study in the USA found that
"immediately after the bulb was broken - and sometimes even
after a cleanup was attempted - levels of mercury vapor
exceeded federal guidelines for chronic exposure by as much
as 100 times.
So much for eco-bulbs. Obviously those legislating are
unaware of the ecological and environmental problems
associated with these bulbs or they are part and parcel of
the climate-industrial complex and care more about money
than the lives and environment of those that they represent.
This is not to say that you should reject CFL's out of hand
but rather be aware of the risks associated with some of
these light bulbs.
Bearing in mind that not all energy efficient light bulbs
are similar. They do not all contribute to dirty
electricity and produce radio frequencies. Those that
don't include some CFL's, some LED's and some halogen bulbs.
Unfortunately a considerable number of bulbs on the market
will make people sick.
So before replacing your old incandescent bulbs for energy
saving ones consider your lighting requirements and spend a
bit of time reading about the replacement bulbs you want to
use and before buying the product read what it says on the
box.
I trust that I have given you food for thought.
----------------------------------------------------
Alain Prudhomme writes about the issues surrounding the
micro-generation of renewable energy for homes as well as
on the contentious and controversial issues surrounding
global warming and climate change. You can find more
resources at http://www.renewablehomeenergysolutions.com
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