[Greenbuilding] chandelier bulb recommendation?

[David Bergman]

Hi Benjamin,

My first question would be: how often is the fixture turned on? If it 
is just an occasional use, then it may not be so important to change 
it to energy-efficient bulbs. Plus your payback period will be much longer.

If the fixture is one that is on for longer or more frequent periods, 
then you're right to seek an alternative. There are some candelabra 
socket CFL's out there, but yes, they mayy be bigger and they 
probably will not be dimmable. Also be aware that, if you are 
currently using clear incandescent bulbs, a CFL will look different 
-- more like a frosted incandescent.

There are LED candelabra bulbs available, and some are available in 
warm color temperatures (to answer Reuben's point). Also, not all 
LEDs are dimmable. But the real issue is that the brightness is 
lower. As far as I have seen, the maximum brightness models currently 
available are equivalent to around a 15 or 20 watt incandescent.

If the light is on only occasionally, and especially if you dim it, 
you may be better off -- at least for now --sticking with the tungsten bulbs.

David
David Bergman  RA   LEED AP
DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
architecture . interiors . ecodesign . lighting . furniture
bergman at cyberg.com    www.cyberg.com
241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY 10002
t 212 475 3106    f 212 677 7291

At 12:06 PM 1/4/2012, Benjamin Pratt wrote:
>The light that is most often on in my house is a 5 bulb fixture in the
>dining room (burning 40 watt mini-base tungsten presently). This is
>the one fixture in the house that does not have CFLs in it. My wife
>likes the warm look of tungsten, especially in this location, and i
>have been unable to convince her to switch to CFLs. Also, they are
>larger in size , and the shades that clip on each bulb may not fit.
>The ideal bulb would be the same size as the tungsten bulbs, dimmable,
>and a warm color. This may be a good opportunity to switch to LED's,
>Any recommendations as to what bulbs to get and where to get them?
>thanks!
>
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