Today's post will cover moving from incandescent globes to compact fluorescent light bulbs. The a following post will cover then making the move to LED so keep posted.
The typical household has 46 light bulbs according to the Department of Energy, but only 5 of them are energy-efficient compact fluorescent. Incandescent lights make 90% heat and only 10% for light meaning that most of the energy used is not used for light generation but heat. A change of your light globes to CFL or LED can have a large impact on green house gases and your money.
CFL have a higher percentage on converting electricity to light, around 20%. Energy efficient compact fluorescent also produce more light per watt, around 60-70 lumins per Watt, whereas incandescent bulbs convert only 10-15 lumins.
But wait a minute CFL cost about 3 to 10 times more that an equivalent incandescent lamp I hear you say. Well a standard CFL will last for around 6000 to 15000 operating hours. Where a standard bulb will last for 750 to 1000 operating hours. Meaning for every one CFL this equals about 15 standard incandescent bulbs. So there is definitely money to be save by using CFL's. This means after 6 months they will pay for themselves. Also the power saved means it can save you up to 12% of your utility bills.
So energy efficient light bulbs provide plenty of advantages to both your pocket and your environment. There are many government initiatives to help you make the switch for cheaper also. So save the planet and save your money :)