I have been in the lighting business for over 30 years and have seen a lot of changes. However, due to the push for global energy conservation, we have been inundated with so much information and many times misinformation that we are more confused about lighting than ever before. I hope that the next few articles I will be writing will help to keep you from being “left in the dark”. Here is a crash course on Lighting 101.

Edison developed the electric incandescent light around 1880. Essentially, electricity heats up the filament encased in glass and the energy is converted into light. This same energy also produces heat. So much so, that over 50% of incandescent energy is given off in heat rather than light. That is why incandescent lighting is considered inefficient. Which is also why there are more efficient sources of light available today and being produced everyday than ever before. By the year 2014, the federal government has mandated that incandescent lamps (commonly referred to as light bulbs) will no longer be produced. Therefore, we should be educating ourselves about the choices we will have available to make the conversion a smooth transition. Right now the two common choices are fluorescent and LED’s. Each has pros and cons that I will discuss separately in future articles. So stay tuned.