Hard sell on halogen bath lights
edwardh1
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Wife and I got the hard sell today from two saleswomen in two different lighting stores about halogen lights. we are buying some simple wall fixtures to go over a sink in two bathrooms ($300 each!!!!) .
Most of the models had halogen bulbs
One saleswoman said ok to mount them upside down or right side up. The other saleswoman said the fixture had to be open at the top to let the the halogen heat out.
Both seemed pixxed when I asked where are the fixtures with plain bulbs, and immediately ranted that the halogens lasted longer, were brighter, sold in grocery stores now etc etc.
Where can I get good info on this subject.
Edited 10/8/2009 9:05 pm ET by edwardh1
Replies
Well--Halogens are bright and small. They make some really interesting styling options. BUT--they are not as energy efficient as the CFL units which of course will fit in a standard socket.
I have seen plenty of standard lights, but typically in the big boxes. Ikea also has them, and they have a nice web site for ordering.
I can tell you that in my business, a portrait photographer, I choose to light my studo wall portraits with halogen light.
I have found that they give the whitest light that makes my portraits come to life.
I agree that they put off a great deal of heat, are not energy effecient but in a bathroom mirror that might be what the wife would like for make up. Maybe not the entrance light but a over the mirror light.
Halogens are good because of their relatively high light output per Watt of energy used. However, what one is not told when purchasing them is that they give off a lot of heat and because of the high temperature of the bulb, the bulbs can have very short life spans, especially where the bulbs collect heat. Replacement bulbs are MANY times more expensive than regular bulbs. I still have and use some halogens but I am watching the LED market with great interest. They give off great quality light, use almost no energy and last a tremendously long time. Because of that, nobody wants to make them or sell them and if they do, they need to make all their money up front with the retail price even though manufacturing costs are quite low. I am told though that one should be able to find LEDs more easily in the next year or so through electrical supply wholesalers.
Halogens are valued because they deliver a high light output from a much smaller bulb, not for more light per watt.Consider; if they give off more heat than conventional bulbs of the same wattage, then they must emit less light, given that the energy input is the same for both. Since most halogens are reflector types, the intensity of light is concentrated in one direction, making the lighted surface brighter.BruceT
Have you considered LED lights? I installed two 4" recessed LED lights manufactured by Cree in our bathroom. They render colors very well - maybe equal to halogen - and produce almost no heat. They are expensive - about $200 each if I recall. But I've been completely satisfied and would absolutely install more if not for the cost.
I don't know if this applies to your situation, but I installed six "puck" lights under one kitchen cabinet and under an adjacent shelf (over the sink) to provide workspace lighting. This is an old house, and other options wouldn't work. Instead of halogen bulbs, I used automobile incandescent bulbs, like the kind in dome lights. The light is sufficient, and there's no appreciable heat from them.
Daylight phosphor F48T8 with electronic ballast.
But hey, I'm partially red-green color blind, so what. <G>
Hey, me too. Who knew, I've always thought I was normal. Green is still green and red is still red but I'm not sure what everyone else sees.
The main advantage to halogens is better color rendition (vs standard incandescents). This is important if someone in the household spends hours in front of the mirror applying makeup, but not such a big deal otherwise.
But do bear in mind that ordinary "frosted" light bulbs will become hard/impossible to get in the coming years, so if you don't care for CFLs (I kind of like them) you may want to get halogens for that reason.