Bill Tauber the "Green Energy Coach™"

Dear Bill:  I keep reading articles and hear people talk about Lumens from a light bulb and Watts from a light bulb.  I’m told that if I buy a Compact Fluorescent Lamp, that swirly light bulb, that I have to get the right Watts or Lumens.  What’s the difference between Watts and Lumens on a light bulb?                                                                                 

                                                                                                            Joan T. – Bloomington, Il.

Dear Joan:  Well, soon you’re not going to have to worry about Watts and Lumens.  The Federal Trade Commission in October 2009 proposed new labeling rules for light bulbs that could have the U.S. referencing “Lumens” only and getting rid of the word “Watts”.

It’s all about energy efficiency.  The newer lights, compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) are calibrated in lumens rather than watts.  The whole idea is help clear up consumer confusion about lumens and watts, allowing consumers to get the right light bulb that provides the most light for the least amount of electricity.

First let me explain the difference between “Lumens” and “Watts” on a light bulb.  “Lumens” is a measure of brightness coming from the light bulb.  “Watts” are a function of electrical power usage.  For example, 60 watt light bulb, 100 watt light bulb, and 150 watt light bulb.  It’s the amount of energy that is consumed to light the bulb. 

“Lumen” is a unit of measurement of light. A foot-candle is how bright the light is one foot away from the source. A lumen is a way of measuring how much light gets to what you want to light! One LUMEN is equal to one foot-candle falling on one square foot of area.

So, if we take your candle and ruler, let’s place a book at the opposite end from the candle. We'd have some light if we put the book right next to the candle. If that book happens to be one foot by one foot, it's one square foot. Now, all the light falling on that book, one foot away from your candle equals both…….1 foot candle AND one LUMEN!

To simplify, get a birthday cake candle and a ruler. Stick the candle on one end of the ruler. Light the candle and turn out the lights. One foot-candle of light is the amount of light that birthday cake candle generates one foot away.

 Dear Bill:  I was told that Aerosol cans of hairspray and deodorant are extremely bad for the environment and contribute to Climate Change by destroying the ozone layer.  Is this true or is it another myth about Climate Change.

                                                                                                                  Lisa G – Rosemont, CA

 Dear Lisa:   It is not a myth but rather it is true. Aerosol sprays do destroy the ozone layer.  Products like hairspray and deodorants in an aerosol can contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFC).  CFC was first used in the 1920’s for air conditioners, refrigerators and other cooling devices and even used in cleaning agents.  The aerosol spray can dates back to 1926, when Norwegian inventor Eric Rotheim discovered that a product could be sprayed from an aluminum can that had been injected with gas or liquid to build pressure.

According to the website DiscoveriesInMedicine.com, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), including Freon, were used extensively as aerosol propellants. Beginning in the 1970s scientists noticed a massive decrease in the amount of ozone present in the ozone layer, part of the upper atmosphere around the earth that shields the earth from harmful solar radiation. Ozone levels had been constant throughout geological time, but over Antarctica the levels had dropped so low that there appeared to be a "hole" in the ozone layer. As the ozone hole grew larger, scientists began to suspect that CFCs were responsible. CFCs react with chlorine and break down, thereby destroying the ozone layer and allowing more radiation from the sun than is normal to reach the earth.

In 1978 the U. S. Government banned the use of certain CFCs, and manufacturers of aerosol products had to find other propellants. Some of the alternative propellants include hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), and carbon dioxide. In 1987 an international treaty known as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer decreed that CFC use should be decreased. Two years later 93 nations agreed to stop producing CFCs entirely and help poorer nations make the transition to other chemistries.

Send your energy-related questions to:

The Green Energy Coach at: GreenEnergyCoach@aol.com

 Tauber is a Radio Talk Show host and a nationally recognized expert on energy reduction and solar power. He has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, Fox Business, Kiplinger, Investors, ABC and Forbes websites and several environmental newsletters and Web sites.