Science Daily just recently reported that kerosene lamps have been discovered as a large source of black carbon. Black Carbon is responsible for warming the earth by absorbing the heat in the atmosphere and reducing the earths ability to reflect sunlight. With the use of kerosene lamps in more than a billion homes today, even in well developed countries like the United States, the use is alarming and damaging to our planet.

If the electricity costs continue to rise as projected, that number may actually grow. The fact that more than a billion people are using kerosene has given rise to some serious concerns about green house gases because the black carbon from these kerosene lamps has been overlooked in greenhouse gas estimates and with such a widespread use, they are a real issue.

Field and lab testing that was recently conducted says that about 7 to 9 percent of the kerosene which are used in these lamps is being converted into carbon or black carbon. When compared to things such as wood, it is more than 7 percent higher since only about one percent of wood converts to black carbon.

The hazards of using kerosene for lighting your home or even a camp or cottage are many, when it is viewed in this way. One kg of black carbon can make as much of a change in warming as 700 kg can produce in 100 years. Kerosene offers a higher level of greenhouse gas than nearly any other kind of lighting fuel.

This and other information just now coming to light tells us that we may need to find a better way for those who live in developing countries or homes using kerosone to obtain light for their homes.

Black carbon is not only harmful to our health but to the health of the children who are living in the household.  According to Tami Bond, who is the associate professor for environmental engineering at the University of Illinois, “The orange glow in flames comes from black carbon, so the brighter the glow, the more black carbon is being made.”

This information comes directly from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and is an important warning to all of us. Using kerosene for lighting can not only cause health problems with breathing the black carbon, but can also be a causative factor in fires and now, is being viewed as an agent in global climate change. With so many other methods of lighting, the use of kerosene it not the healthiest or safest choice for your family or our climate.

Converting to cleaner methods of lighting the homes in still using kerosene would not only offer the climate a much needed rest, but may also provide for better health of those who live in homes that use the fuel for a light source or heat.

Today’s modern floor plan is very open, which means your lighting should be cohesive throughout the home in both style and light quality. Do you prefer cool lighting or warm lighting? If you prefer one to the other, make sure the bulbs you select for your home lighting give the same light temperature.

The lights in the entry of your home should welcome guests as well as adequately illuminate the space. If your entrance has high ceilings, consider installing an elegant chandelier. If you have a single-story foyer, try adding a lighting fixture that sits flush or almost flush with the ceiling. Pair it with two wall sconces on either side of the front door.

Light adds visual interest to an area. When deciding on how you plan to light your space, consider these three lighting layers.

Dimmer switches add variety when lighting your room. Dimmer switches can be a great addition to your dining room, which can serve as a place for the kids to work on homework during the day and a gathering place for dinner parties in the evening. The dimmer switch allows you the versatility you need to have that bright light for the kids and a softer, subdued lighting for the grownups.

If you notice your kitchen is a bit dark, or you simply want to add more visual interest to your home, adding counter lighting is a great solution for this. Not only does it provide visual interest, but it also provides ample light for kitchen counter tasks.

Insect Vision: Ultraviolet, Color, and LED Light, Marianne Shockley Cruz and Rebecca Lindner from the University of Georgia’s Department of Entomology write, “Experimental work supports the idea that color perception exists in insects and that they are especially responsive to the shorter wavelengths of the visible spectrum and UV light.” Wavelengths are measured in nanometers, and shorter wavelengths of light (less than 550 nanometers) can indicate ultraviolet (UV), blue, or green colors. Cruz and Lindner also cite work that confirms the correlation between UV light from the sun and moon and how certain bugs navigate Earth. Another point to remember about bugs is that certain types, such as mosquitoes, are attracted to heat and have thermal receptors to help them find it. All of this information is helpful for determining why bugs flock to certain light sources.

The color that is emitted from a light source is important because of its ability to attract bugs. As previously stated, shorter wavelengths (UV, blue, and green light) are more visible to bugs than longer wavelengths (yellow, orange, and red light) and, therefore, will draw them closer. Incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL), halogen, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lights emit UV radiation that is attractive to bugs, and since certain types of bugs navigate by UV light from the sun and moon, a closer, brighter source of UV light can disrupt their orientation and draw them in. LEDs produce very little to no UV light, which makes them less visible to bugs. However, it is still possible for an LED bulb to produce shorter wavelengths of light (bluish-white/cool white color), which will be more attractive to bugs. Therefore, when browsing for LED lights that will attract less bugs, it’s important to choose a fixture that emits more wavelengths that are above 550 nanometers, such as warm white, ultra warm white, or yellow lights.

CCT) instead of nanometers, it’s easy to tell if the bulb will be more or less visible to bugs. CCT is measured in Kelvin (K), and different temperatures on the Kelvin scale represent different colors. An LED bulb with a CCT below 3600K will emit warm or ultra warm white light that’s not easily seen by bugs. Bulbs with CCTs of 3600K and above will emit natural or cool white light that is more likely to attract bugs.

Incandescent, halogen, CFL, and HID bulbs waste most of the energy they consume—as much as 90 percent—in the form of heat. Bugs with thermal receptors can sense the heat released by these light sources. LED bulbs produce a minuscule amount of heat, which makes them less appealing to bugs.

Bug lights are simply light bulbs with a yellow coating that decreases the color temperature of emitted light. Because of the coating, bulbs will emit a peak wavelength of light that is around 550-600 nanometers. However, you don’t need a yellow-coated bulb to reduce the presence of bugs. LED lights that emit warm-colored illumination, such as yellow malibu light bulbs for landscape applications, or From top left to bottom right: incandescent bug light, yellow LED strip lights, yellow LED malibu light bulb installed in landscape fixture, and gold-tint LED filament bulbs

Ecologist Michael Justice performed an experiment to determine the type of residential light that attracts the least amount of bugs. He used six lighting types inside of an insect trap each night during the summer. Justice also made efforts to equalize the effects of weather and the moon’s irradiance. His LED Z-Bug Bulb™ from NEBO is a bug zapper and an LED bulb in one. The bulb emits white illumination from its top and ultraviolet (UV) light from its caged center. The UV light attracts mosquitoes and other insects toward the bulb’s high-voltage electric grid and kills them on contact.

Because different types of bugs see different wavelengths, it is never guaranteed that an LED light won’t attract them. However, most bugs are attracted to short wavelengths of light and are especially drawn to UV light; they can see it better, and some use it for navigation. Bulbs that emit more short wavelengths of light (cool white/bluish color) will attract more bugs. Lights that emit a majority of longer wavelengths (yellow/orange/red colors) are less visible. Heat can also draw bugs into an area. LED lights produce little to no UV light and a minuscule amount heat, which makes them less attractive to bugs—so long as they emit longer wavelengths of light.