Frequently Asked Questions
How many Christmas light strings can I link in a row?
How many feet of Christmas lights do I need for my tree?
How bright is that LED Bulb?
Why energy-efficient lighting?
What are the main benefits of energy-efficient lighting?
What are examples of energy-efficient lights?
How much more do I have to pay to use energy-efficient lighting?
OK, but there's no way it will make sense to replace a cheapo halogen cup bulb I can buy on discount for $3 with an LED lamp that might cost $45, right?
What's wrong with incandescent lights?
So maybe I save some money with LED's, CFL's and other energy-efficient lights. Does it really help the environment?
But in my state, electricity is really cheap. We don't need energy-efficient lighting here, right?
What should I do with the inefficient bulbs I replace with energy-efficient light?
How should I dispose of fluorescent bulbs?
What are waterproofing ratings or IP codes?
What's the difference between a fixture and a luminaire?
What's the difference between a lamp and bulb?
Q. How many Christmas light strings can I link in a row?
A:
For the commercial line, 125 strings.
For the retail line, it depends:
- Officially, 3 strings, is what you may find on some of the cord tags on retail Christmas lights.
- Unofficially, you’re probably safe at 30 strings, as long as they’re all LED. DO NOT mix traditional incandescent strings with LED’s. Incandescent strings use 10-15 times as much power and you may overload the circuit or blow the 3 amp fuse in your strings.
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Q. How many feet of Christmas lights do I need for my tree?
A: Please see our handy diagram and explanation.
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Q. How bright is that LED Bulb?
A: Wondering how we rate bulbs by brightness? We do a lot of testing, and run a lot of calculations. We don't just take the manufacturers' word for it. Every LED bulb we sell is an excellent value: if a bulb costs too much for its brightness, it doesn't make it onto our web site. Want to learn more? Please see our article: "How Bright is that LED Bulb?"
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Q. Why energy-efficient lighting?
A: Energy-efficient lighting saves you money AND saves the environment. Installing energy-efficient lighting is one of the easiest ways to save money you’re likely to find. You can feel good about reducing your power consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, too. Learn more.
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Q. What are the main benefits of energy-efficient lighting?
A: There are several key benefits.
First, it uses a lot less energy per unit of light output.
Second, you'll save money. Energy-efficient lighting lasts a lot longer, so be sure to amortize your bulb costs over the expected life of the bulb. In addition to the cost of the bulb, you should include the cost of the labor to change the bulb. If you have to move retail racks or food preparation equipment, or disassemble a luminaire, or find a ladder or lift, the labor cost to replace a bulb or string of lights can be high. There’s always the risk that the person changing the bulb will break the luminaire or something under it, so a 50,000 hour LED has a big advantage over a 2,000 hour halogen, for example, because the relamping occurs much less frequently. Additionally, there’s a risk the bulb will be dark for a while before being changed. What is the cost to your reputation if your hotel, restaurant or other business has burned out lamps? With long-life bulbs, it just won’t happen as frequently.
Third, since energy-efficient lighting lasts longer, you’ll be generating less trash for our landfills.
Finally, you can feel good about using energy-efficient lighting. You’re being a good corporate or private citizen for conserving energy. Increasingly, people will notice your energy conservation. And that’s great for your reputation.
Energy-efficient lighting just makes sense. Spread the word. What you do makes a difference.
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Q. What are examples of energy-efficient lights?
A: Fluorescent and Compact Fluorescent (“CF”) lights are based on established technologies that provide high luminous efficacy (lumens/watt.) LED’s are rapidly becoming very competitive with fluorescents in many applications, and can achieve innovative color and other effects not obtainable with other technologies. The luminous efficacy of LED’s doubles about every 18 months, according to Haitz' Law, so in a few years, LED’s will be literally everywhere. High-Intensity Discharge lamps can be energy-efficient, especially for large area lighting, like parking lots.
Halogens, a type of improved incandescent lamp, are somewhat energy efficient, but will lose ground to more energy-efficient technologies. They tend to get really hot, too.
Incandescent lights, the ones Thomas Edison commercialized, are obsolescing rapidly. The bulbs are really cheap, but they don’t last long and they consume far too much energy to be competitive except in locations where they are rarely used, such as an attic. They make decent heaters, but you wanted a light, right? Especially if you have to pay for air conditioning to offset the 90% heat output those 19th century relics are throwing off. We sell a few specialty incandescents, but not many. It’s antithetical to our purpose of bringing you the best in energy-efficient lighting. You won’t find the classic A19 white or clear light bulb at EnvironmentalLights.com. Buy an LED or CF instead!
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Q. How much more do I have to pay to use energy-efficient lighting?
A: The goal is that you actually pay LESS for energy-efficient lighting, including all the cost factors: the bulbs, the cost of replacing the bulbs, and the power.
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Q. OK, but there's no way it will make sense to replace a cheapo halogen cup bulb I can buy on discount for $3 with an LED lamp that might cost $45, right?
A: Wrong. It is less expensive to use a $45.00 LED MR16 cup lamp than a FREE halogen cup lamp. That’s right! If you use it 8 hours/day and pay 15 ¢/KW hour, you’ll save $11.36/year with that high-tech LED lamp, and that’ assuming you don’t have to pay someone to change the bulb. Please see our calculator and notes for how to use it. So you could take out halogen bulbs you’ve already paid for (essentially free, at this point) and save money by buying a $45 LED MR16. If the light is inconvenient to change because of its location, you’re even better off with the LED because it lasts so long.
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Q. What's wrong with incandescent lights?
A: 90% of the energy is used to make heat and 10% is used to make light. That’s a lot of waste. Incandescent lights were invented in the 1800’s. Look around your home and office. How much of the technology you use at work and home is over 100 years old? Probably not very much. LED’s, fluorescents and compact fluorescents are much better than incandescents. We’re here to help you get your lighting up to date with state-of-the-art technology. Give us a call!
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Q. So maybe I save some money with LED's, CFL's and other energy-efficient lights. Does it really help the environment?
A: YES! Lighting consumes about 22% of the electrical power we use in the U.S. If you specify energy-efficient lighting, it matters. If everybody gets with the program, we’ll need fewer power plants. That means less greenhouse gas emissions, less air pollution, less need for nuclear reactors and fossil fuels and fewer dams for hydro power. What you do matters. Spread the word!
According to www.EnergyStar.gov: If every household in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road.
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Q. But in my state, electricity is really cheap. We don't need energy-efficient lighting here, right?
A: Wrong. Check your bill carefully. Add in all the surcharges and look at the “marginal” cost of power—the last KW-hour you bought. Frequently that marginal cost is higher than the average cost you’re paying. If you cut your electricity consumption, you’ll probably save more than you think. Our calculator and notes on how to use it can help you figure out whether you’ll save money with energy-efficient lighting. You’ll probably be surprised how much you can save!
Plus, your electricity rates are going to rise, just like the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Finally, wouldn’t you like to help reduce global warming? Choosing energy-efficient lighting is the right thing to do.
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Q. What should I do with the inefficient bulbs I replace with energy-efficient light?
A: If the bulbs still work, you’ll be tempted to keep them. But remember, the biggest cost of lighting is the energy consumed, not the bulb. Using that old incandescent “heater” in another socket would just transfer the cost somewhere else. If you want to use it in your attic or some other place you rarely light, that might make sense. Otherwise, get rid of it!
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Q. How should I dispose of fluorescent bulbs?
A: Fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps often contain mercury, which is really bad for the environment.
The following helpful information was obtained from the www.EnergyStar.gov web site and applies to fluorescent tubes, as well as compact fluorescents:
Follow these guidelines to dispose your CFL properly:
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Q. What are waterproofing ratings or IP codes?
A: IP codes describe the degrees of protection provided by the enclosures of electrical equipment. Some of our lighting products have IP ratings to enable you to determine where you can use them. Learn more.
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Q. What's the difference between a fixture and a luminaire?
A: A luminaire is a lighting fixture, specifically:
A complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp or lamps together with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps and to connect the lamps to the power supply.
A fixture might be a luminaire or a toilet, or a lot of other things. If you want to look and sound like a lighting pro, use “luminaire” and don’t forget the “e” on the end. Frankly, we don’t care what you call them since the only fixtures we sell are lighting fixtures.Return to Top
Q. What's the difference between a lamp and bulb?
A: Not much. Sometimes a “lamp” can mean a fixture that holds a “bulb.” We usually call them bulbs, but sometimes we call them lamps. Sorry for any confusion.
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