In the dark over new bulbs? Here’s the light way to go

Dazzled by the selection of lights? Here's some information on the choices.

ABU DHABI // So now incandescent bulbs are set for the switch off, what next for people faced with a dazzling array of new bulbs?

Jesus Gutierrez, the co-managing director of Smart4Power, said the price of a typical 60W incandescent bulb was only Dh1 to Dh2, but on average consumes four times more electricity than its compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) counterpart and six times more than a comparable light-emitting diode (LED).

“An incandescent bulb than runs six hours per day will burn out in just six months. With the same daily use, a CFL will last 3.5 years and a LED bulb 14 years,” Mr Gutierrez said, whose company advises on office and home energy efficiency.

The CFL tends to be the natural replacement for low-use lamps or when looking at a short payback period, whereas the LED becomes more attractive for intensive use and longer term return, he said.

“Halogen is not recommended given its short life and relatively low efficiency as compared to CFL and LED,” he said.

Bulbs have usually been identified by wattage, a measure of electricity, but the amount of light a bulb generates is known as lumens.

When choosing the replacement for incandescent bulbs, in addition to selecting the right technology, it is very important to check bulb features such as lumens, light colour (warm/cold), beam angle, bulb base (screw-in, pin), volts (12V/220-240V), and whether it is dimmable or not, he said.

Mohamed Imran Nehal, manager at the Mohammed Yakub Nur Electrical Trading shop in Abu Dhabi, said a CFL bulb can generate five times more light, or lumens, than conventional incandescent bulbs.

He also advised there is specific rule on CFLs having a warranty of up to four years, but companies define their rules in very small letters and most customers don’t know about that, which reads: “use them for 5.5 hours a day”.

If you keep them switched on for the entire day, the company is not responsible if it blows, he said.