With the new lighting options coming on to the market due to the new laws from the Energy Independence and Security Act (E.I.S.A) there are some new terms associated to some different lighting types. With LEDs being one of the slickest lighting options available right now, the terminology and testing associated with them can be a little foggy. Some terms that are now floating around are LM79 and LM80 when we are talking about LEDs.

These are tests to help you figure out if you are making the right choice by going with an LED. The LM79 is designed to help consumers know what they are buying when they make the decision to go with an LED over other energy efficient options. LM79 measures total luminous flux, luminous intensity distribution, electrical power, efficacy (lumens per watt delivered), and color characteristics (chromaticity, CCT, and CRI).

LM80 is there to help ensure that when a person chooses to purchase an LED that they are getting the most out of their new bulb. One interesting thing about LEDs is that they do not “burn out” the way traditional incandescent light bulbs do because they do not have a filament to burn out. With LEDs the light quality just depreciates to the point where the bulb is no longer usable. LM80 is the approved method for measuring lumen depreciation of LEDs. Simply put, LM80 helps to validate that the bulb will have a usable amount of light for as long as it says it will.

Make sure when you decide to take the leap into LEDs to do your homework, most manufactures will have their LED LM79 and LM80 available for you to view.

The new E.I.S.A laws are changing the way that you are shopping for light bulbs. Not a big deal right? Wrong, what used to only be a small area of your local store has turned into it’s own section. This new retail section now has all kinds of “strange creatures” when it comes to different LED, CFL and energy efficient light bulbs. But, there is nothing to fear!

First off, you need to educate yourself on the new lighting laws. Knowing what the laws are, can help you make smart buying decisions. check out this short video on the new lighting laws:

We admit, it can be confusing picking an energy efficient light bulb. There are those squiggly CFLs, the space ship looking LEDs, and the “it looks like what I used to buy” halogens all waiting for you to chose them. Knowing that you have all these options before you go, will help you determine what you need to pick.

NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) has put out a great piece on choosing the right bulb. Also, the NRDC has also put out some great information on choosing the right bulb to meet your needs. TCP has also created a resource center to answer some commonly asked questions that can be found here: http://www.tcpi.com/EISAFaq.aspx

With daily life going on, one thing that is sometimes over looked is “how can I impact the environment.” We become caught up in the day to day and do not take the time to think about what we can do to change the world. Earth Day is one day to really reflect on what you have done in the past year and what you want to do to help.

This may seem like a daunting task, however the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is committed to helping people learn about how they can integrate saving the planet into their everyday lives. The EPA is announcing “ENERGY STARs Across America” – a nationwide, grassroots effort to help families learn about energy saving actions they can take in their homes and communities that will help protect the climate.

There are more ways than you realize to help out and get involved:

• Take the ENERGY STAR Pledge
• Find an energy efficiency event near you with the EPA’s ENERGY STARs Across America map
• Enter the Be an ENERGY STAR Video Challenge

ENERGY STAR helps you with ways that you can help change the world. Last year Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved over $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 33 million vehicles. We need to do whatever we can to make 2011 even bigger and better!

Changing out an incandescent light bulb for an energy efficient option is a great way to start making a change. So, get out there this Earth day and take the ENERGY STAR pledge! With ENERGY STAR, changing the world is easier than you might think.

In my travels around the blog-o-sphere today, I found this great post on the Tips for Better Lighting Blog and thought I would pass the information along. There’s some great stuff in here about the E.I.S.A laws.

Could Congress be doing a cha, cha, cha on light bulb efficiency? One wonders as Congress debates The BULB Act, legislation that has 27 cosponsors in the Senate and a companion bill in the House. It would repeal the part of a 2007 law that toughened energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs, lambasting the standard as overregulation that is paternalistic and anticonsumer.

Still, The Christian Science Monitor reports “Kyle Pitsor of the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA) testified that The BULB bill would be bad for US light bulb makers, who have already upgraded factories to meet new standards and would face a patchwork of state regulations if the uniform federal 2007 standard (due to take effect nation wide in 2012) were rolled back, he said.

” ‘NEMA does not support its repeal,’ said Mr. Pitsor. ‘It’s a common misunderstanding, but these standards do not ban incandescent bulbs, nor do they mandate the use of compact fluorescent bulbs…. Consumers will still be able to purchase a general service incandescent bulb,’ but one that will be 28 percent more efficient.’ “

Read about “the good, the bad and the ugly” of lighting regulation here in The Monitor.

With new lighting regulations going into effect in 2012, the FTC is doing their part to help educate consumers by developing packaging standards for lighting manufacturers. Currently, consumers use watts to figure out what type of light bulb that they need to purchase. However, with new technologies coming onto the marketplace every day that consume less power, this unit of measurement is not really an accurate depiction of how much light a bulb is going to put out. Having terminology such as “60 watt equivalent” is helpful, but confusing at the same time because a consumer isn’t aware of the energy savings that they are getting from that light bulb. The new standards from the FTC will focus on lumens and not watts to help consumers determine what type of bulb they need to purchase. But, the big question is the difference between a watt and a lumen.

Let’s first start with the definition of a watt. A watt is defined as the power needed to move a one kilogram object at the speed of one meter per-second against a force of one newton. More simply put a watt a measurement of how much electrical power a device consumes. When looking at lighting and watts, you are not looking at how much light a bulb puts out when looking at watts, but how much energy a bulb uses to put out that amount of light.

Now moving on to lumens, a lumen is a measurement of the amount of light that is contained in a certain area. The technical definition of a lumen is one candela multiplied by one steradian. A much simpler definition of a lumen would be that one lumen is equivalent to the amount of light put out by one birthday candle when you are standing one foot away from it. If a light bulb puts out 100 lumens, imagine standing one foot away from a cake with one hundred birthday candles on it.

Lumens are more accurate way of measuring the amount of light a particular bulb is putting out, because lumens are a direct measurement of light output. Wattage, even though it is what people have become accustomed to seeing on packaging and measuring how much light they are seeing, it is not really an accurate way to measure light output. Just because a light bulb uses a particular amount of energy to run, does not mean that it directly correlates with the amount of light that is put out. With a variety of energy efficient CFLs, LEDs and Halogen lamps coming onto the market on a regular basis that do not use nearly the same amount of energy as incandescent bulbs it makes sense for people to move away from thinking about wattage when they purchase a bulb and start thinking about lumens.

A light bulb is a light bulb is a light bulb – right? Wrong! There are certain types of light bulbs (or lamps as they are known in the lighting industry) which meet specific needs. Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL), for instance, are especially useful where dimming, rapid on/off (for signs), or long lamp life is required.

So what is a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light Bulb? CCFL, like their cousins Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL), use small, integrated ballasts to regulate electric current into a glass tube. The current then reacts with mercury and phosphors to generate ultraviolet light. In traditional CFLs, the cathodes incorporate thin tungsten wires which can reach upwards to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold cathodes use more robust solid metal stubs which max out at 200 degrees Fahrenheit – hence the relatively “cold” cathode.

What are the advantages of Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light Bulbs? Cold Cathodes are ideal for use in theaters, amusement parks, marquees, flashing signs, chandeliers, decorative applications, sanctuaries, down lighting and track lights. They are available in all common shapes, including a-lamps, flame tips, torpedo, G20 globes, G25 globes, G30 globes, R20 floodlights, R30 floodlights, and flat pars.

Dimmable down to 5% of total light output, Cold Cathodes provide more flexibility than CFLs. And, Cold Cathodes last for approximately 25,000 hours of use. That is over 15,000 hours longer than most CFLs. The extended life reduces the maintenance cost and hassle of replacing the lamps.

What are the disadvantages of Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light Bulbs? Cold Cathodes are restricted in light output, reaching only up to 40 watts comparable incandescent. Initial lumens range from 100 to 300. Compare that to the range of a traditional CFL – Upwards past 150 watts comparable incandescent and over 2850 initial lumens. Cold Cathodes tend to cost more than CFL for comparable uses. And finally, Cold Cathode and CFLs do not work well if used with timers, motion detectors, or photo sensors are used. On such systems, small amounts of electricity continuously enter the bulbs, even when turned off, diminishing the life of a Cold Cathode or CFL.

TCP has mastered the design and production of Cold Cathode technology.Choose the energy-efficient, long-lasting shape which best meet your unique lighting needs.

The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio has implemented a unique program this summer entitled, “How Many Light Bulbs Does it Take to Change an Episcopalian?” The goal is to encourage energy efficient lighting at homes, offices and churches throughout the Diocese. TCP is proud to be collaborating with the Church on this endeavor.

Each church in the Ohio Diocese received 50 TCP compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to give to members of the congregation to use in their homes. Members participating in the program are encouraged to switch more of their incandescent bulbs to CFLs. Each CFL saves $55 in electricity costs over the 9-year life of the bulb.

The churches are also replacing their own light bulbs in the sanctuary, common areas and offices. According to a recent article by the Youngstown Vindicator, sixty of the 95 churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio have already changed light bulbs.