Choosing the Right Globe

It’s amazing how much we rely on the humble light globe to keep us active and our homes functioning after sundown.

And it’s not just one type of globe we use. Take a look around your place and you’ll be amazed at how many different globes it takes to keep our lives illuminated.

With lighting taking between 8 to 15 per cent of the average household electricity spend, there are lots of globe options to help reduce your lighting costs. You just need to drop by your local Mitre 10 to find out.

Types of Globes

– The older style pear-shaped incandescent globe worked by heating an electric element until it was white hot and gave off light. Almost all the energy was converted into heat, with only a little being converted into light, making them the least efficient type of lighting.

– Halogen lights

– CFL (compact fluorescent lamp)

– LED (light emitting diode)

The key things to remember when choosing bulbs are:

1. Think lumens (the amount of light output), not watts

800 Lumens
Old style incandescent – 60W
LED – 8-12

250 Lumens
Old style incandescent – 25W
LED – 3-4W

2. Consider lifetime costs, not just the purchase price

Choose the light bulb that will cost you the least in the long run

Two of the main differences between lighting technologies are lifespan and efficiency.
For example, while a halogen bulb is cheaper to buy than an LED, a good quality LED lasts 5-10 times longer and consumes a quarter of the energy.

3. Get the mood of your light right – consider colour temperature

CFL and LED light bulbs are available in a range of colour temperatures, allowing you to customise the mood of your space.

Warm White is a soft, warm light similar to incandescent and halogen bulbs, suitable for living rooms and bedrooms.

Cool White is a neutral light suited to studies and kitchens, and for task-based applications such as kitchen benches, garages and workshops.

Daylight is a colder light similar to midday daylighting conditions. It can appear harsh, unrelaxed and even sterile, but may be good for bathrooms and laundries.

4. Decide what type of light you need – general or task specific.

Most rooms need general, ambient lighting complemented by task-specific accent lighting.

Ambient lighting radiates overall at a comfortable brightness level.

Once a globe has blown what do you do with it? Put it in the recycling bin? No, Put it in the General Waste Bin? There is a very special place for your old globes.

Drop any old globes into your local Mitre 10. They are very happy to receive and pass them on to their recycling partner, Toxfree, one of Australia’s leading environment, waste management and industrial service providers.

For more information on which globe to buy or recycling your old globes, just drop into your local Mitre 10.