Our Favorite Things: Pharox LED light bulb
Almost every product and service we rely on today is manufactured with or transported by some amount of fossil fuels. Of course, the most important thing we can do to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels is to use less. However, when you do make a purchase, we encourage you to shop for energy-smart products that use less energy.
At CEC, we're all about energy-smart products that help us move towards a fossil-free lifestyle and a fossil-free future for Santa Barbara.Last time, you heard about Michelle’s favorite reusable bags, and today, we're hearing from Michael Chiacos, CEC's Transportation Specialist. We hope you'll find an idea to inspire you.
Favorite eco-product: Pharox LED Bulb
Price: $29.99
Owned it for: 8 monthsSome of you may have heard about LED light bulbs, which are the most efficient lighting available (twice as efficient as a CFL, around 10 times more efficient than an incandescent). The problem is that they’ve been quite expensive, and light quality wasn’t as good as incandescent bulbs.
Now there is a new generation of LED light bulbs just hitting the market that are less expensive. I’ve been trying out a few of them and have been quite impressed with the Pharox line of LED bulbs, which dim smoothly and have a color rendering quite similar to an incandescent. They only use 6 watts to light an area comparable to a 60 watt incandescent, and are just slightly warm to the touch. Apparently they last 35 times as long as an incandescent, so if you have any light bulbs that you need to get a ladder out to change, this bulb might be what you are looking for.
I also have their Pharox Flame bulb, which produces a very yellow/orange light. On the reviews many people didn’t like this, but I find it makes a great ambient light to put in a bedroom or any other table lamp where you just want enough light to see, but not to read by.In my mind, LED bulbs are now ready for primetime, though they are pretty expensive at $29/bulb. If the bulb does really last 35 times longer than an incandescent, there is quite a bit of savings - you could save $200-$300 over the decades. They also make a great house “cooling” gift. A friend gave me one 8 months ago upon moving into my new place and now I have a bunch of them!
You can get a LED light bulb of your own at CEC's Amazon Store in the Lighting section. We hope you'll find an idea to inspire you.