Question
12.) In terms of efficiency electric cost and purchase price , compare Incandescen lights to Fluorescent lights.
Solution
4.7
(235 Votes)
Harmony
Elite ยท Tutor for 8 years
Answer
Let's compare incandescent and fluorescent lights in terms of efficiency, electricity cost, and purchase price:**Efficiency:*** **Incandescent:** Very inefficient. Only about 10% of the electricity used is converted to visible light. The rest is lost as heat.* **Fluorescent:** Much more efficient. Around 60-80% of the electricity used is converted to visible light. They produce much less heat.**Electricity Cost:*** **Incandescent:** Higher operating costs. Because they are inefficient, you use more electricity to produce the same amount of light, leading to higher bills.* **Fluorescent:** Lower operating costs. Due to their higher efficiency, they use less electricity for the same light output, resulting in lower electricity bills. The savings can be significant over time.**Purchase Price:*** **Incandescent:** Generally cheaper to buy initially.* **Fluorescent:** Typically more expensive to buy upfront than incandescent bulbs. However, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and especially light-emitting diodes (LEDs, which are even more efficient than fluorescents) have come down in price considerably.**Summary Table:**| Feature | Incandescent | Fluorescent ||----------------|-------------------|--------------------|| Efficiency | Very Low | High || Electricity Cost | High | Low || Purchase Price | Low | Moderate (decreasing)|**Conclusion:**While incandescent bulbs have a lower initial purchase price, fluorescent lights (and even more so, LEDs) are a much better long-term investment due to their significantly lower energy consumption and therefore lower operating costs. The higher upfront cost is quickly offset by the energy savings.