The Winner, by Unanimous Decision, is...

After a prolonged time in the ring, here's how our little smackdown worked out:

The LED accent bulbs used only 2 watts of energy. Thus, using the same calculations from my earlier post, the whole fixture would consume only 4 kWh/yr, for a remarkable energy savings of 80 kWh/yr over  incandescent bulbs! Unfortunately, each of the accent bulbs only cranked out the advertised 50 lumens apiece, leaving our bathroom, shall we say, less than brilliant. In fairness to Sylvania, however, these are clearly marketed as accent bulbs-- LEDs intended to provide the equivalent output of incandescents are marketed under their "ULTRA" line. More on this in a second.

Time for an Energy-Sippin' SMACKDOWN!!

Tired of accidentally suffering burns from scalding incandescents? Put off by the unsightly, mercury-laden swirls of CFLs? Rejoice! A new option for residential lighting is hitting the streets-- Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)! I've noticed lately that LED bulbs are becoming more common in the market place, where they offer two big advantages to consumers. They can be far more efficient than CFLs, and the bulbs contain no mercury. But, as far as performance, I don't really know how they stack up against CFLs. So its time for some good old-fashioned sparring!!

Vanity is SUCH an Energy Sink...

I'm trying to figure out how to replace some hell bulbs in our bathroom while still maintaining the necessary brightness to accomplish important feats of personal hygiene. Currently, we've got six 40-watt bulbs burning in the vanity fixture. That's a total pull of 240 watts. Before I go changing anything, I want to know how much energy it would consume over the remaining year without any modification. Here's how I figure it out:

C.F.L., or, Casa Falta Luz

So its time to do something about the energy hog in my bathroom. My wife has always supported my desire to be more green, but there is one issue where she draws the line-- lighting. She and I have now owned two homes, and she has patiently suffered through my efforts to replace as many incandescent bulbs with compact florescent lights (CFLs) as possible. But the truth is, CFLs typically aren't as bright as the wattage they purport to replace. AND most CFLs don't really achieve full brightness until after at least a few seconds of being turned on. The result? Our home, like yours truly, is often quite dim.

A Fixture as Decorative as...

At some point in our collective history, someone set out to create the least decorative piece of lighting humanly imaginable. The result? The omnipresent bathroom vanity light bar. The very design screams, "MINIMALIST VOMIT!", and would no doubt make Thomas Edison regret having ever invented the bulb. Yet somehow, this fixture has made it into every American domicile since Monticello.

And this bare-bones piece of lighting is an energy hog. Each fixture usually boasts between four and eight 40-50 watt incandescent bulbs. And because they are all exposed, removing a few, or replacing the incandescents with the swirled tubing of a CFL looks downright odd.

We currently have one such fixture in our bathroom, and I've long had a hankering to do something about it. The time is now...