Even though they are terribly inefficient, in some situations conventional
incandescents are still the best choice. Where you have more illumination than you need but few hours of operation, or
other conditions that would rule out a compact fluorescent, you may be able to
substitute lower wattage incandescent lamps. You have a lot of flexibility with
incandescent lamps, since there is a wide range of lamps with the same size
base. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind:
Buy energy efficient incandescents. Always consider the newer energy saver incandescents. They allow you to use
55watts instead of 60, 95watt instead of 100, and so on.
Use one higher-wattage lamp instead of two lower wattage ones. The larger the lamp, the more efficient it is. This means that where you now
use two or more incandescent lamps, try to use a single more powerful lamp. For
example, two 60watt incandescents (total 1,720 lumens) might be replaced with
one 100-watt lamp (1,740 lumens). This yields a little more light while saving
the cost of 20 watts of electricity.
Avoid using extended-life lamps. Extended-life lamps should be used only in
very difficult to replace locations. They produce less light per watt than
regular lamps, and the savings in replacement lamps is completely offset by their
higher energy costs.
In considering using dimmer switches, make sure that the dimmers would really
be used. If the lamp is always kept at a reduced output, significant energy savings are possible from
installing the most efficient appropriate light source, undimmed. Dimmers, when
dimming, do decrease energy use but almost always lower energy efficiency.
