Sustainable Purchasing Guide

Light Bulbs
 Light Bulbs

Introduction Wherever possible CHOOSE products that employ a combination of characteristics listed in the
left hand column, and AVOID products that demonstrate characteristic in the right-hand column.
This section provides information on
currently available options for light bulbs CHOOSE AVOID
that can help to move the University of • Eco-Logo certified
Saskatchewan toward its sustainability
goals. Living within the boundaries of our • Reduced use of light bulbs
sustainability goals requires us to apply • Controlled by occupancy/lighting
two main strategies: sensors
• Energy efficient designs

Dematerialization requires that

we reduce the amount of materials
as much as possible; and that we
continually move toward the use of Option: Optimize Daylight
100% recycled content. Strategy: Dematerialization (SO 1, 2, 3, 4)

Substitution requires that we find less Building design that employs natural daylight to reduce reliance on artificial lighting is
harmful materials to replace those an important dematerialization strategy. Daylight in buildings reduces the demand for
that currently damage and are not light bulbs, the demand for electricity and reduces building cooling requirements. The
recyclable. goal of daylight-focused design is to minimize energy use and maximize human comfort.
Preferable building designs orientate the building to maximize the potential to use solar
energy, incorporate skylights and clearstory windows and engineer floor plates and inner
Sustainable purchasing is about includ- partitions to allow daylight to penetrate deep within the building.
ing social, environmental, financial and
performance factors in a systematic way.
It involves thinking about the reasons
Option: Employ Smart Lighting Design
Strategy: Dematerialization (SO 1, 2, 3, 4)
for using the product (the service) and
assessing how these services could be Lighting design within a building is also an important consideration for dematerializa-
best met. If a product is needed, sustain- tion. For instance, task lighting on desks and at workstations can help to reduce the need
able purchasing involves considering how for excessive overhead lighting. Lighting can also be designed to bounce off reflective
products are made, what they are made wall or ceiling surfaces, allowing relatively fewer lighting fixtures to provide more illumi-
of, where they come from and how they nation.
will be used and disposed.

Finally, remember that this is an evolving Option: Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs
document – it will change with new infor- Strategy: Dematerialization (SO 1, 2, 3, 4)
mation as our understanding of sustain- Different types of light bulbs vary greatly with respect to energy efficiency. Light emit-
ability impacts and potential solutions ting diode (LED) bulbs are the most energy efficient option available and also last the
improves. longest. Compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs are the next best option, followed by halogen
and then incandescent options. It is essential to calculate total lifetime costs when as-
sessing these options since many LED bulbs will last for roughly twenty-five years while
incandescent bulbs will last for only one.
Purchasing Services
Tel:
Email:
(306) 966-6704
[email protected]
Option: Use Long-Lasting Light Bulbs
Strategy: Dematerialization (SO 1, 2, 3, 4)
Office of Sustainability Similar to the above option, LEDs have the longest lifespan, followed by CFLs, then
Tel: (306) 966-1236 halogen and incandescent. Not needing to replace these lights reduces the impacts as-
Email: [email protected] sociated with lighting manufacturing (extraction, processing and assembly of materials),
sales (packaging, transportation), replacement (transportation) and disposal.

Sustainable Purchasing Guide

Option: Choose Take Back or Recycling could potentially pose a human health hazard. Therefore it is
important to purchase CFLs from manufacturers or distributors
Programs who will effectively steward the mercury and recycle the lamps.
Strategy: Dematerialization – Less Waste (SO 1, 2, 3, 4)
Take back and recycling increases the likelihood that the sustain-
ability impacts associated with the end-of-life management of
For applications where LED lighting is not yet available or ap- fluorescent lamps will are reduced or eliminated. SaskPower has a
propriate, compact fluorescent lighting is, from the perspectives list of a list of CFL recycling locations.
of energy efficiency and lamp longevity, preferable. At the same
time, because of the embedded mercury content these lamps

Arriving
at the currently preferred options

1. Identify the service Fluorescent Lamps (including compact fluorescent lamps)

Light bulbs employ electrical energy to provide artificial illu- The main component of a fluorescent lamp is a sealed glass tube.
mination (and heat), both indoors and outdoors. They provide The tube contains a small bit of mercury and an inert gas, typi-
illumination for work, sporting, entertainment, leisure, travel, art, cally argon, kept under very low pressure. The tube also contains
information and safety. a phosphor powder, coated along the inside of the glass. The
tube has two electrodes, one at each end, which are wired to
an electrical circuit. Phosphors are substances that give off light
2. Assess the need when they are exposed to light. Overall, a typical fluorescent
lamp is four to six times more efficient than an incandescent
Meeting the needs of a successful and sustainable university
lamp. A fluorescent light bulb is designed to produce light
requires the service of illumination, for safety, work, entertain-
without heat. Electrons collide with mercury atoms to produce
ment and other purposes. Lighting for certain purposes, such
an atomic emission of ultraviolet light. This ultraviolet light is then
as aesthetics, could be reassessed and reduced, but lighting for
converted to visible light by the layer of white phosphor powders
illumination will always be required to a certain degree.
on the inside of the lamp’s glass envelope. In principle, this whole
activity can be performed without creating any thermal energy.
However, many unavoidable imperfections cause the lamp to
3. Identify the contents convert some of the electric energy it consumes into thermal
The main material contents of light bulbs are metal, glass and energy. Nonetheless, the lamp only becomes warm rather
inert gas. There are three main types of light bulbs: (1) incandes- than hot. To generate more ultraviolet light, a small amount of
cent lamps (including halogen), (2) fluorescent lamps, and (3) mercury is added to each lamp. All fluorescent lamps contain a
light emitting diodes (LEDs). small amount of elemental mercury for this reason. When lamps
are cold, most of the mercury in the lamp is in liquid form, but
Incandescent Lamps while the lamp is operating, or when the lamp is hot, some of the
mercury is in a gaseous or vapor state.
An incandescent lamp (conventional light bulb) is comprised of
a metal socket with a lead bead on the end, a tungsten filament
attached to two metal wires anchored in the base, and glass bulb LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes)
coasted with a diffusing material and filled with an inert gas, An LED is a semiconductor (a device that can conduct electricity
such as argon or nitrogen to prolong the life of the filament. The under some conditions but not others) that emits light when an
most efficient incandescent lamp is a halogen lamp, which is an electric current passes through it. Unlike an incandescent con-
ordinary incandescent bulb with a few modifications. The fill gas ventional light bulb, LEDs do not have a filament. LEDs have been
in this lamp includes traces of halogen to extend the life of the used for many years as tiny red, green or yellow indicator lights in
tungsten filament. These lamps produce more light per watt, last computers and other electronics. LEDs are also becoming com-
longer, and run substantially hotter than normal incandescent monplace in building exit signs, traffic lights, roadway construc-
bulbs, which requires the bulb to be small and made of either tion signs, automobile tail lights, Christmas lights and flashlights.
quartz or a high-strength, heat-resistant grade of glass known as In a flashlight, for example, a small number of white
“hard glass”.
continued on page 3 . . .

Sustainable Purchasing Guide 2

3. Identify the contents (con’t) iv. …systematically undermining people’s ability to meet their basic
human needs?
LEDs are arranged to create the desired light intensity. In applica- • The extraction of fossil fuels and virgin metals/minerals
tions for which they can be applied, LEDs have several advantag- (for constituents of light bulbs) may systematically degrade
es over conventional incandescent light bulbs. They don’t have a nature, particularly cases where land disturbed in mining is
filament that will burn out. They have a low power requirement, not reclaimed.
and most of the power supplied to a LED is converted to light
with minimal heat. LEDs have a long life; they can function for • Some materials used in light bulbs cause various nega-
decades if installed properly. They are small, thus requiring less tive health effects. For example, mercury is known to be
material, and their small plastic bulb makes them durable. toxic to humans, and lead is known to cause damage to the
nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems and the
kidneys.
4. Identify sustainability impacts • A number of the compounds produced by the combustion
i. ....systematically increasing concentrations of substances from the of fossil fuels (e.g. nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur
earth’s crust? oxides, particulate matter) have a negative effect on human
health.
• Light bulbs need electricity to operate. If the electricity is
derived from the combustion of fossil fuels, it leads to an • There is a basic human need for the regenerative proper-
increase in concentration of substances extracted from the ties of night-time sleep, which can be jeopardized by light
earth crust in nature (CO2, CO and SOx). Increasing concen- pollution. Exposure to light at night suppresses human
trations of these substances in nature can contribute to a melatonin production from the pineal gland, which should
number of negative effects such as climate change, and naturally produce melatonin at night in darkness. Melatonin
regulates hormone secretions from the hypothalamus which
acid rain, as well as negative human health impacts. then regulate the secretions of pituitary hormones that con-
ii. ...systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced trol our endocrine glands like the thyroid, pancreas, ovaries,
by society? testes, and adrenals. Humans need to sleep in total darkness
• Fossil fuels are also combusted to provide energy during to allow the pineal to naturally produce melatonin.
the extraction of raw materials, transportation, and the
production of light bulbs.
5. Envision sustainable light bulbs
• Heavy metals such as mercury are toxic to humans and
bio¬accumulate if they are released into nature and not In principle, sustainable lighting would feature:
recycled. Since many of these metals appear in relatively • No materials that are derived from the earth’s crust (e.g.
small traces they are difficult to recapture for recycling, and petrochemicals and metals), unless these are 100% cap-
there is a high risk of release into nature through light bulb tured and reused in technical cycles.
disposal. • No components that are persistent in nature, unless those
• The petroleum or natural gas used as feedstock for most substances are 100% captured and reused.
plastics is extracted from the earth’s crust at a rate much • A production process that:
greater than its redeposit back into the earth’s crust. o does not contribute to the increased concentrations
iii. ...systematically degrading nature by physical means? of substances from the earth’s crust or the buildup of
• The combustion of fossil fuels produces a number of persistent compounds in nature,
chemical compounds (e.g. nitrogen oxides) that build up in o uses only sustainable renewable energy or energy
the atmosphere. produced in a carbon-neutral manner;
• Light bulb waste is a growing concern. In addition to the o does not rely on practices that systematically physi-
potential release of toxic and persistent materials described cally degrade land and ecosystems; and
above and the downstream effects of this on land, water o does not rely on practices that undermine people’s
and human health, discarding of light bulbs in landfills capacity to meet their basic needs.
contributes to the physical degradation of nature caused by
a dependence on ever-increasing amounts of land for waste Electricity derived only from sustainable renewable energy that
disposal. is produced in a carbon-neutral would power the light bulbs.

continued on page 4 . . .

Sustainable Purchasing Guide 3

6. Identify and prioritize alternatives
Step 6 helps identify the product or service that offers the best Resources
pathway toward meeting all four of our Sustainability Objectives
by using the following three criteria for assessment:
and Additional Information
a) Does the product or service move us in the right direction 1. Daylighting Guide for Canadian Commercial Buildings
with regards to our four Sustainability Objectives? http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/
terri/powerpoint/daylighting_canada.pdf
b) Does the product or service create a flexible platform for the
next step toward sustainability? 2. Sask Power: Light Bulb Comparison
http://www.saskpower.com/save_power/residential/
c) Is the decision financially viable?
tools/led_buying_guide.shtml

This guide was made possible through the generosity of the

Whistler 2012 project, which shared its template and much of
its research.

Sustainable Purchasing Guide 4