LEDs vs CFLs vs Incandescent
Updated 3/22/2018
LEDs vs. Fluorescent vs. Incandescent
If you have not already upgraded from incandescent lighting, you really should put the 1990's behind you and get with the times. LEDs will truly save you a lot of money in electricity over the life of the bulb.
I originally switched all the lighting in the entire house to CFLs back in 1999. With 1/5th the energy use of an incandescent bulb, the energy savings was fantastic. But now the next best thing is here and it's an LED. They are very reliable, robust, inexpensive, energy efficient bright and have great color.
T-8 Tubes
They even come in tubes now too. In an LED tube, there is an array of LEDs on one side along the length of the tube. In this configuration, the LEDs only transmit light on one side of the tube. Since most of the light generated is already pointing in the right direction, almost none of it is wasted. This allows LED tube lights to only use ½ the power of a comparable T-8 fluorescent tube.
In my measurements, a 48 inch, 16 watt LED T-8 tube actually puts out more light than a 48” 32 watt fluorescent tube. They are the perfect solution for cold weather applications too since they reach full brightness regardless of temperature.