Heating?

[symphonica]

I'm no electrician, so I'm very confused...

I live in an area where the trend is to "go green." It's all of a sudden taken over, like a fad. All of these energy-saving product seriously have my brain going around in circles.

I don't bother with the "reptile" heating bulbs from pet stores that cost 5x more for a box with a picture of a bearded dragon on it. I just get household light bulbs for $2 and draw a bearded dragon on the box with a sharpie myself (ok, not really).

Anyways, when a bulb says it has the performance of 75 watts but is "energy-smart" by only using 13 watts, does that mean it's 75 or 13 watts? Sometimes it will say, "does the work of 75w bulb with only 13w," or "compare to the traditional 75w bulb." Will there still be the same heat output? I'm just having a really hard time finding bulbs that aren't energy-smart, where it's wattage is the true 75w.

Also, what's the difference between clear and white bulbs?

 

[CarlC]

"Eco Smart" bulbs are either a florescent or LED bulb. The florescent is a gas filled bulb that uses an igniter to light the gas. The old style bulbs had a metal filament that electricity ran through. The resistance of the metal caused it to heat up as the electricity ran through it. As the filament heated up it produced light.

Your example of 13w=75w means that the bulb use's 13 watts of energy but puts out the same amount of usable light as a 75 watt bulb.

Hope that helps!

Carl

 

[kdc5019]

Along with what Carl said 13w=75w that is the light put out is the same. The heat however is not. A 13w bulb will not put put the same amount of heat as an old 75w bulb.

Some people use halogen bulbs to heat, but you need to closely monitor your temps as they put out a lot of heat.

In an effort to be more energy efficient in the US as of 2014 to my knowledge they no longer make the old style bulbs are going to the energy efficient ones that's why your having difficulty finding them.

 

[symphonica]

Thanks, guys. So essentially, brightness is the same but heat output is not?What does everyone use? A WalMart/Home Depot/Lowe's product link would be very helpful.