Daily Tip: Change Your Light Bulbs
Yeah, yeah. We’ve all heard this one. Change out your incandescents for the more energy efficient CFLs. But how many of you are actually doing it?
Making the switch to CFLs (compact flourescent lamps) will result in noticeable savings in your electricity bill. Plus, they last longer, produce more light, and emit less heat.
Want more good news about CFLs? They come in more than one variety. There’s a CFL for many different types of light fixtures, and you can choose your shape: spiral, or a more conventional ‘bulb’ look. Some manufacturers even offer CFLs that radiate that warm glow of an incandescent so many of us have grown accustomed to. But before you buy, check the label to make sure the CFL will work with your lamp or lighting fixture, and that it corresponds to the appropriate wattage. (For more facts about CFLs, Natural Path has some great answers to some CFL basics.)
However, all CFLs contain mercury - about 5 milligrams each (equivalent to the tip of a ballpoint pen.) On the upside, many CFL manufacturers are working on reducing that amount to no more than 2 milligrams per bulb by 2008. No matter which CFL you buy, always check with your local waste management company to find out how to properly dispose of your CFLs. (Smart HomeOwner has additional facts on mercury in CFLs and safe disposal information.)
If you live in California or Australia, you may not even have a choice soon, as regulations are in the works to ban the incandescent bulb altogether.
So get on that CFL bandwagon. Make the switch and start saving energy today.
Amy says: My roommate and I seem to have inadvertently stockpiled some 60w bulbs and haven’t run out yet, but the second we do I’m buying the CFLs.
More on CFLs from GO:
Environmental Defense: Why Today’s CFLs Are So Much Better
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Naturalpath Asks "CFLs — What’s the Deal?"
Tags: cfl, compact flourescent, Daily Tips, Home and Garden, incandescent, light bulb
August 29th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Great reminder. Yesterday, I posted an entry that details the savings I’ve actually seen after replacing the light bulbs in my house. YMMV.
Check it out if you like.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
They’re also getting rid of incandescent bulbs in the EU in the next 2 years, however the price difference is quite large £0.20 compared to £1.70. Although they do last 5 times longer and require less electricity so are clearly a good thing!
August 31st, 2007 at 12:43 am
After using CFLs for the last 15 years, I guess it is time to start switching to LEDs and buy the last lightbulbs that I ever will. Wonder if my children will think I am weird if I put my LEDs in my will. I mean they are supposed to last 65-85 years and use have the electricity as CFLs do.
August 31st, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Thanks, Wayne. LED’s are very likely the future of lighting. I have some flourescent flood lights on the exterior of my house only because they draw less power. The light they produce is annoying (borderline blacklight) but they serve their purpose. I have also found that CFL’s in lamp fixtures give off substandard light when compared to the old standard. I did put a few around the house where lighting is almost continuous. However, unless you are willing to pay the price for daylight corrected flourescents, they just aren’t any good for reading or working. I believe LED’s with higher output will be a better compromise to Edison’s marvelous invention.
On a side note, I still can’t figure out why all the greenies are pushing mercury-laden CFL’s. Let’s do a little basic math to bring into focus the effects of banning Edison and going CFL. At 5 milligrams of mercury per CFL, using a United States population of 300 million, at an average of 2.5 persons per household, assuming 10 lights per household, 1000 milligram makes 1 kilogram, 1 kilogram weighs about 2.2 pounds:
(300,000,000/2.5*10) = 1,200,000,000 = 1.2 billion CFLs
(1,200,000,000*5/1000*2.2) = 13,200,000 pounds of mercury
Are we really willing to risk releasing another 13 million pounds of mercury into the waste stream every 5 or so years when our CFLs expire? I wonder how much it will cost to recycle them, and who will secure that business permit from the government. We should all be a little more skeptical and start asking some important questions. First, are CFLs really “green” or are we just ignoring the possibilities? Second, who really stands to profit from forcing their use on the public?
September 13th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Correction! I made a conversion mistake there are 10^6 milligrams in a kiligram not 10^3. So, we have to divide 13,200,000 by 1000 and that yields:
13,200 pounds
Significantly less, but still a huge amount when talking about an EPA regulated heavy metal. I can’t believe that no one caught my mistake.
April 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
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