Let
there
lightsbe
Track and recessed lights
650 lumens
Bright white
13. 5 watts
Costco Item #598639
Available now
Recessed and
security lights
For lamps,
you’ll want at least
450 lumens if you’re
replacing a 40-watt bulb,
800 lumens or more
when replacing a
60-watt bulb, 1,100
lumens or higher
for a 75-watt replacement, and at least 1,600
lumens for a 100-watt
replacement. For ;ood-lights, look for lumens
that are at least 10
times the wattage
of the bulb you’re
replacing.
That effectively rules out traditional bulbs.
The rules currently apply to 100-watt
lamps. Recent federal legislation has postponed funding for enforcement of the rules
until October 2012. However, the major
light bulb manufacturers have indicated this
will not stop their plans to manufacture
next-generation lamps.
Starting in January 2013, 75-watt lamps
can use only 56 watts to produce the same
amount of light. And as of 2014, 40- and
60-watt lamps must fall into line. If you live
in California, each year’s rules take effect one
year earlier. Exempt from the regulations are
a wide variety of specialized bulbs, such as
appliance and heavy-duty lamps.
While some incandescent halogen
lamps already meet the new requirements,
the energy-efficiency rules provide a perfect
opportunity for LED lamps to, well, shine.
LEDs are super-efficient, typically using
just one-fourth the power of regular bulbs.
While their upfront costs are considerably
higher, LED lamps pay for themselves in the
long run, through reduced
power usage and extraordinary lamp life. While
they’re rated to last
about 20,000 hours,
that’s simply the point
when the lamp will
burn at 70 percent of
its original brightness.
“I’m getting a tremendous energy savings, and the lamps
emit much less heat
than regular bulbs,”
says Oppenheimer.
“The color of the light
is an improvement, and
because they last so long
CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
In a typical home
installation, you
won’t have to change
lamps more often
than every 10 years.
885 lumens
Bright white
18 watts
Costco Item #510666
Available now
By Eric Taub
WHEN YOU’RE faced with a $600 monthly
lighting bill, you have a lot of motivation to
look for ways to save money.
That was the situation confronting
Chicago art gallery owner and Costco member Joel Oppenheimer, who was spending
more than $7,000 annually to illuminate his
offerings of original John James Audubon
prints. Oppenheimer needed to find a more
cost-effective solution.
Until recently, that would have meant
using low-wattage compact fluorescent
(CFL) bulbs. Now there’s an alternative.
Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps produce a
Outdoor lanterns,
pendants, chandeliers,
ceiling fans
200 lumens
Warm white
4 watts
Costco Item #614661
Available in March
warm light similar to that offered by classic
incandescent bulbs, while using a fraction of
the energy of incandescents.
LEDs don’t contain the mercury found in
CFLs. In addition, some LED lamps are dim-mable, and last more than 20,000 hours. In a
typical home installation, you won’t have to
change lamps more often than every 10 years.
LEDs are gaining in popularity thanks to
federal energy efficiency legislation that took
effect in January. Under the new rules, traditional incandescent light bulbs—invented by
Thomas Edison and used virtually unchanged
for more than 100 years—are not banned.
Rather, over the next several years, all newly
manufactured lamps will need to consume no
more than 75 percent of the energy of today’s
lamps, but produce the same amount of light.
Hanging pendants,
lanterns, vanity strips,
ceiling fans, wall sconces
Desk lamps, table lamps,
;oor lamps, ceiling fans,
pendants
200 lumens
Warm white
4 watts
Costco Item #614652
Available in March
600 lumens
Warm white
9. 5 watts
Costco Item #509514
Available now in
select warehouses
Costco and Costco.com
also carry CFL bulbs.