Best House Floor Plans

In this installment of Best House Floor Plans, we’re putting the light bulb in the spotlight. Lighting always sets the ambiance. Few people understand the difference between the LED light bulb and the CFL light. While both have their eco-friendly qualities, we’ve shed some light on their differences: 

• CFL is the acronym for Compact Fluorescent Lamp.
• LED stands for light emitting diodes.
• Compact fluorescent lamps are related to fluorescent lighting, most commonly used in the workplace, office, warehouses and schools.
• In the home, the LED light bulb is commonly used as ambient or accent lighting.
• Because, it is an industry-specific term, CFLs are referred to as a lamp opposed to a bulb. Any lighting device electrically powered is considered a lamp in the lighting industry.
• Mercury is not contained in the LED light bulb.
• On average, most CFLs are comprised of 1/6000th of mercury or 5-milligrams.
• As compact fluorescent lights contain the poisonous chemical, mercury, they should always be recycled.
• Light emitting diodes or LEDs have a shorter lifespan than CFLS.
• Compact fluorescent lamps cost more than LED light bulbs.
• Sometimes, CFLs require more time to light up.
• CFLs make for a problematic clean up. If a CFL bulb shatters, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends opening windows and leaving the room for at least 15 minutes, before using gloves to clean the hazardous debris.
• Unlike LEDs, CFL lights are incompatible for all lighting fixtures because they do not fit all lamps.
• Due to the hazardous material contained in CFLs, certain recycle centers charge a dollar to recycle it.
• On average, LEDs provide 1000 hours of light time compared to the 6000 hours of luminosity provided by the CFL.
• The average CFL bulb provides a $30 savings over its lifetime.

As for buying CFL lights with that feature the best luminosity, bulbs with 2700 to 3000 Kelvin render yellowish, natural lighting, which is common in incandescent lighting. But, then again, buying and LED light bulbs feature soft lighting too.

How to identify real eco-friendly household products from the gimmicks?

 What do bottled-water, toilet paper and light bulbs have in common? Depending on the manufacturing process or means of transport, all may or may not be eco-friendly household products. So before we go shopping for those eco-household products, we should know how to distinguish the difference between authentic green home products and faux eco products.

 It seems impossible to go anywhere these days without seeing anything marketed as “eco-friendly” or touted as “being green”. For those of you who are skeptical, you’ll be happy to know you have good reason to be a cynic. But, we know that everything labeled with these words is not necessarily authentically eco. 

 Just because the paper located in the home printer is made of recycled paper, does not constitute it as a totally eco-friendly product. In fact, genuine green home care products exceed the sustainable and recycled elements. Authentically eco-friendly household products are manufactured and exported with a special attention to its impact on the environment as well as its sustainability. 

 The proof of eco-household or kitchen appliance products is in the substantiation. In other words, just because a cleaning item, says that’s its eco-friendly does not warrant the evidence. A third party certification from any agency like Energy Star is the type of validation to look for.  So the next time you go shopping to stock up on eco-friendly household products, use these tips to identify the authenticity of environmentally friendly goods: Confirm the validation. Quite often, manufacturers falsely label their goods to appear eco-friendly, when they are not. For instance, certain home appliances are marked with the words, “Energy Star” registered. However, a visit to the Energy Star can validate this information. Check the product. Another nifty eco marketing gimmick is to say that a product is made out of recycled paper when it is clearly made of plastic. The only “recycled paper” is the label. This is commonly found on dishwasher detergent bottles. Confirm energy efficiency. Just because light bulbs, fixtures and household lamps have the words: “energy efficient,” it does not mean there’s any truth behind the content. Be sure to research what makes the product eco-friendly. Read between the lines. Terms like “chemical free” and “all natural” tend to be misleading eco-friendly product identifiers. Since everything is a chemical, including water, nothing is completely “chemical free.” As for the phrase “all natural,” formaldehyde, arsenic and mercury are poisonous but “all natural” elements.  So at the end of the day, real-eco friendly household products exceed words, labels and ambiguous terms. The proof is in the certification, production process and actual benefits to the environment.