Personal Spaces: Homeowners Work Their Pendant Lights

Hello friends. I am a lighting consultant specializing in energy efficient light bulbs. I would never recommend Halogen as an energy-cost saver. They save very little energy. For example a 72 watt halogen is the equivalent of a 100 watt incandescent. That's still a lot of energy. The get very hot, and don't last any longer than your old fashioned incandescents. But they cost 2times what incandescents do so you actually spend more money than you save in energy costs. CFL bulbs are very energy efficient, but there are several drawbacks. They take a while to warm up to full brightness. So if you need instant light they are not a good solution. They also don't last as long as originally claimed. It's hard to explain why in a comment post but suffice it to say that it is a small fluorescent bulb. And fluorescents are made to stay on for long periods of time and use very little energy in the process. But you kill them every time you turn them off and back on again. They work great in a shop, left on for 10 hours a day. But we're not made for households where we have been taught for years to shut off the lights whenever you leave a room. Plus the spiral twist shape looks weird. If you like weird they are awesome!
LED is the way to go. Yes they cost more. But you have to look at the math. I have created a spreadsheet that breaks down the costs of each style light bulb and the energy consumption of each type. I will try to take a photo of that and post here when I get into work or later tonight. But trust me for now. I've done the math and the short version is this: I have 15 "normal" light bulbs in my home (they are called A19 bulbs if you want to google that shape). 15 incandescent light bulbs will cost just over $2300.00 over a period of 20 years because of their high energy use and short life. That's a 60watt bulb used an average of 3 hours per day. If you spent $19.95 per bulb to change to an LED light bulb (which has a nice frosted look and only uses 10.5 watts of energy, gives you more light than an old 60watt and lasts 22 years). You will only spend just over $620 in a 20 year period. That's a great deal and includes the cost of the bulb. You will recoup the cost of that expensive bulb less that 3 years in energy savings and from then on its all money back in your pocket. The other benefits of LED are : they are dimmable and they stay cool to the touch or just barely warm. Ours are high quality Satco brand bulbs. They are made of metal and hard composite material but look like a traditional bulb. I can literally throw them on the floor, pick them up and screw them back in and they work fine. Nice warm white colors too-but there's cooler white colors if you prefer those. Beware the bulb some one put in a photo above. It is glass with a rubber cement coating. Sticky and gets very dirty and it's breakable. Any questions? renee.huff@thelightingcorner.com

What color do you suggest

Are you asking for color of light bulbs for that room? It appears your walls are a beige, and you have warm wood tones. So I would go with a 2700 Kelvin, or 3000 at the most. Highest power you can find, and use a dimmer. Having an accent lamp to light your desk is necessary too. Or install a couple of 4 inch LED flush mounts (look like a little recessed can light) in the ceiling above the desk area if you're going to keep it in that spot. And that's IF you can get into the ceiling to do the work. Normally I would recommend higher Kelvin for an office setting. But this is your bedroom, so warmer light is more comfortable. Don't know if that's what you were asking for, hope so!