Choosing Light Bulbs For Aesthetics

Now when you have designed your new interior scheme and picked the lighting you do not want to go and ruin it all by selecting ugly light bulbs. There are definitely different alternatives that are available for energy saving light bulbs with different technologies, energy consumptions and aesthetics. So you need to select your light bulb for both energy saving efficiency and aesthetics. Lets look at some of the alternative bulbs that strike the balance between aesthetics and efficiency.

Halogen Light Bulbs

Halogen Bulbs are definitely aesthetically pleasing and they will save around 30% in electricity costs against the traditional incandescent bulb. As an example if you choose a clear candle halogen bulb for your chandelier then the clear light will really make the most of the sparkle from the crystals. Then if you really want that aesthetic design edge go for the candle flame tip halogen bulb which will enhance the look of your chandelier considerably and the light bulbs will really contribute to the overall looks. Clearly the bulbs will never look like real candles with a glowing flame but the simple clean design of the flame tip candle bulb is the best choice for an electric light bulb.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps- CFL's

The energy saving bulbs which use the compact fluorescent lamp technology are certainly good from an energy efficiency perspective saving around 80% against a traditional incandescent bulb, but the aesthetics can be far from pleasing. This is just fine if the light bulb is tucked away inside a lamp and is not visible, but if the light bulb is seen under the shade or there is no sconce at all then be sure to pick the right choice. The original linear CFL's look awful and now at least the full spiral energy saving light bulbs have improves aesthetics, but the visual appearance is still far from ideal. The best choice is to go for the globe design CFL and if you pick one with a nice spherical shaped energy saving globe light bulb, then the look can be highly desirable. This way you can get the best of both worlds with a beautiful looking bulb that will pay for itself in electricity savings in a matter of months. That has got to be a win-win situation on the light bulb front!

LED Bulbs
If you want the ultimate in energy efficiency then the best choice is the LED bulb which will save you around 90% in electricity although the initial outlay for the light bulbs is considerably higher. However, be aware of the appearance to be sure that they are right for your lighting application. Now if you have simple halogen downlighter then there are some very elegant LED MR16 bulbs available that will produce the equivalent of say 25W halogen output from a 3W LED. That is a great energy saving bulb and the aesthetics are good too.