Other energy efficient light alternatives to fluorescent?
Do not discount all fluorescent lights yet, because there are many options in the market. Residential lighting is generally limited to being sold in three forms; incandescent (the typical “light bulb” that has barely changed in form nor improved much since Thomas Edison), fluorescent (the familiar 4 foot tubes, circles and ever-expanding varieties of compact shapes), and halogen (the small bright hot lights). They each have different characteristics; fluorescents are for ambient lighting and use the least energy, halogens use twice as much energy and are used for clear, short distance spot or task lighting, while incandescents use three to four times as much energy and are used for general task lighting. Halogens and incandescents use a lot of their energy in producing heat in the fixture and room (80-95% of their electrical energy goes into heat). The input energy used for creating the light is measured in watts. The amount of visible light output is measured in lumens. The lumens-to-
