Lighting
Having a light source is a necessity for everyday life, especially while you are at school so you don’t have to do your homework or everyday tasks in the dark. For this category we look at 4 different types of light bulbs that are widely used. The 4 different bulbs are light Emitting diodes (LED), Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL), Halogen, and incandescent light bulbs. Each type of bulb has its pros and cons because they all have different effects on the environment through out the life cycle.
LED
LED lifespan can last up to 50,000 hours they are powered with 6-8 Watts. They use up to 329 KWh/yr. The Operating cost is $32.85/year. They have no toxic mercury and they are RoHS Compliant. They produce 541 pounds of carbon emission a year. They produce 3.4 btu’s/hour of heat. Incandescent light bulbs life span 1,200 hours and use up to 60 watts. On average they use 3285 KWH/yr. The annual coast is $328.59 a year. They contain no toxic mercury and are RoHS compliant and produce to 4500 pounds a year. They produce 85 btu’s/ heat a hour (Mathers, 2017).
LED’s bulbs are made up of many different materials. The material compositions is Glass 1.85g (1.06%), Ferrous metal 0.28g (0.16%), Aluminum 71g (40.55%), Non-ferrous metal 5.15g (2.94%) Plastic 27.33g (15.61%), Electronic components 29.5g (16.85%), Resin Compound 40g (22.84%) (LEDVANCE, LCA of LED, 2017).
CFL
CFL average life span is 8,000 hours they are powered 13-15 watts. They use up to 767 KWh/yr. the annual cost is $76.65 a year. They are toxic with mercury and are a harm to personal health and environmental. They are not RoHS compliant they contain more then 1mg of mercury and is a major risk to the environment. The bulbs produce 1051 pounds of carbon a year. They can catch on fire, smoke, and omit an odor (Mathers, 2017). The materials use to produce CFL go as listed (Glass 17.79g 40.78%), ferrous metal (0.5g 1.15%), non-ferrous metal (0.0133g 0.03%), cement (2.84g 6.51%), plastic (9.93g 28.06%), electronic components (12.24g 28.06%), mercury (0.0025g .01%) and, special chem (0.31g 0.71%) (LEDVANCE, LCA of LED, 2017).
Incandescent Lamps
Incandescent lamps have the average lifetime is 1,000 hours with 415 lumens and takes about 40-60 watts to light (LEDVANCE, LCA of LED, 2017). They are RoHs complaint because they contain no mercury. They coast about $328.59 a year to run. They produce up to 4500 pounds of carbon a year.( Which lamps are the best) The Materials used to produce the light bulbs go as listed Glass (20.54g 87.05%), Ferrous metal (0.084 g 0.36%), Aluminum (1.15g 4.87%), Non-ferrous metal (0.2095g 0.89%), Cement (1.45g 6.14%), Special chem (0.163g 0.69%) (LEDVANCE, LCA of LED, 2017). The bulbs are not durable so often need to be replaced at a higher rate then other light bulbs.
Halogen
Halogen lamps operate like incandescent lamp and are design. The average lifetime 2000 hours with 630 lumen and take 42 watts to light. The annual cost is about $129.61 a year to run the bulb. The bulbs produce up to 4,418 pounds of carbon a year. Halogens use up to 1,767 kilowatts a hour per year. The bulbs have filler gas that contains small quantities of halogen such as bromine, iodine, and chlorine. The materials composition goes as listed glass 20.81g (85.96%), Ferrous metal 0.37g (1.53%), Aluminum 1.17g (4.83%), Non-ferrous metal 1.45g (5.99%), and other special chem 0.04g (0.17%) (LEDVANCE, LCA of LED, 2017).
What We Use
Overall, we choose LED lights because they are the most sustainable and produce the least amount of carbon per year. LED’s also has the longest lifetime of use they can last up to 50,000 hours. They do not contain any harmful chemicals, which makes them able to be recycled. LED cost a little more than other lightbulb options, but overall the pros out weight the cons (Mathers, 2017).
References
Which lamps are the best. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2017, from https://www.mpw.org/webres/File/energy-smarts/LampCompare.pdf
Ledvance (n.d.). Retrieved December 08, 2017, from https://www.ledvance.com/company/sustainability/environmental/product-lifecycle-management/lca-of-an-led-lamp/index.jsp
Mathers (n.d.). Comparison Chart LED Lights vs. Incandescent Light Bulbs vs. CFLs. Retrieved December 08, 2017, from http://www.usailighting.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/1/92ffeb328de0f4878257999e7d46d6e4/misc/lighting_comparison_chart.pdf
