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Money Saving Tips

halogen lightbulbs

18 years ago

I've replaced all the lightbulbs in my house with compact fluorescent bulbs, except for the lights which have dimmers. However, I discovered something interesting while out shopping today. Halogen lightbulbs that look like a regular bulb and fits in to a normal lamp holder. The advantage of halogens is that they're dimmable *and* use less energy per unit of light output than a normal filament bulb - in fact I replaced my 60 watt bulbs with 40 watt halogens and have discovered that they're still generating more light. The bulbs also have a longer life span and the quality of the light is excellent.

Fluorescents are still the best energy savers by a large margin, but anything cost effective that cuts down on the energy consumed by the few remaining filament bulbs in the house is welcome.

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Comments (9)

dadoes
18 years ago
Compact fluorescents also don't work in remote-control ceiling fans or with most kinds of digital timers.
sharlee
18 years ago
Yes, the halogen bulbs are great, aren't they. Since I was replacing bulbs so much due to power surges in my area I went to a lighting company & learned about these bulbs. Their life is much longer & I noticed the light of the 40watt was brighter than expected as you mentioned

Really, I prefer these to fluorescent anyday.

Thank you for the reminder to pass on to others.

Sharlee
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bonelady
18 years ago
DO these bulbs work in fixtures that are covered by glass globes?
sharlee
18 years ago
bonelady,
I would try one & see what you think. You might notice a slighty dimmer light....guess it depends what you are used to having. They are shaped like the regular bulbs, so it's the brightness & life of the bulb that is different. Let us know,
Sharlee
bry84
Original Author
18 years ago
As far as I'm aware they're suitable to replace any normal light bulb. The packet doesn't say anything about not being able to cover them with shades, and it's the same shape/size as a normal bulb so it would fit anywhere designed for a regular bulb.

But if you're not sure do ask someone in the store who can give more accurate advice based on the actual item you're looking at. I'm a little reluctant to make any definate statements as there are always exceptions...
ultraviolet
18 years ago
Wow, I've never seen one that'll fit into a normal light fixture.

Do they throw off as much heat as the normal traditional halogens do? (which I think, although could be wrong, is what bonelady was referencing) I cannot deal with the CFL's in the den - the buzzing is driving me up the wall. Our older halogen floor lamp, however, throws off so much heat that makes it unusable in any season other than winter.
ultraviolet
18 years ago
Ugh, I hate it when I have a dumb blonde moment - especially since I'm not even blonde. =)

These are the type you guys are talking about, right?
zeebo
17 years ago
I thought halogens could not be used with lamp shades, for instance, because they get so hot. What's the appeal?
bry84
Original Author
17 years ago
The halogen bulbs do have a hotter filament, which is why they're more efficient. This extra heat is not however generated by increasing the energy going in to the bulb - it's because they use a gas fill which insulates better, and also have a coating which reflects infared energy back in to the filament. Since some of the heat normally lost is captured and converted in to light energy the halogen bulb will release *less* heat than a normal bulb.

A 100 watt halogen turns about 80 watts in to heat, but a 100 watt normal bulb turns about 90 watts in to heat. So it's quite safe to swap out your regular bulbs for halogens of the same wattage.

The heat we associate with halogen lighting is more of an issue with other types of halogen fixtures, such as those floor lamps (aka curtain torchers). Their bulbs can be as high as 500 watt, which is so hot you can put a frying pan on them and cook! Our local fire department do this to show just how dangerous they are. Very bad for the electric bills and not very safe either. You can get modern floor uplighters now that take CLFs.

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