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How to choose a light bulb: The incandescent and alternatives

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Lights bulbs: the most discussed topic that few still understand? Quite possibly.

Take the bulb on the far left: That’s easy, you say. It’s a compact fluorescent. But how much energy does it really save compared with a traditional incandescent bulb, and how much can it lower your bill? And how does it compare with the bulb immediately to the right, an LED?

And if that’s an LED, how is it different from the bulb that is second from the right, also an LED?

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And if the bulb on the far right is a halogen, what the heck is the thing in the center? An incandescent? A halogen? A halogen incandescent (if there even such a thing)?

You can Google ‘light bulb ban’ and spend a couple of hours sorting out the mess, or you can read Times staff writer Susan Carpenter’s explainer on modern alternatives to old-school incandescent light bulbs.

Article: energy-efficient light bulbs

-- Craig Nakano

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