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 :)
It's a good idea, it's just that damn initial price that gets me. Also don't you have to dispose of them in a particular way?
ReplyDeleteGood call allentesch, i'll do a follow up post on disposal as CFL contain mercury. Always on the ball just like your blog. thanks :)
ReplyDeleteEU is phasing-out the regular light bulbs. We are supposed to be free of them by 2012. My stores are already stopping the support even for the still allowed 60 and 40 Watt models. I'd say the transision is going smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI see these on sale quite a bit at various stores, it'd be stupid not to switch all of your lights over.
ReplyDeleteIt would be so much better if energy-efficient bulbs were lesser priced than other bulbs.
ReplyDeleteThen people would be more motivated to buy them.
Utility bills go down, the environment is happy...
World peace. One bulb at a time.
I like LED bulbs.... Even more efficient than CFL's!
ReplyDeleteInformative post!
ReplyDeleteKeeping an ear out for government or business sponsored lightbulb trade in events where you can get a CFL for an older style bulb can certainly help with the cost.
Now following.
these are in my bathroom :D
ReplyDeletecfls are awesome!
ReplyDeleteI understand all of that, but after changing to efficient light bulbs it got much colder in my house
ReplyDeletenever new this, looks like im getting these on my next visit to homedepot
ReplyDeletei have some of these
ReplyDeleteI like it dude. Good stuff.
ReplyDeletei have only this at home :D
ReplyDeleteyou won me over with the title of this post.
ReplyDeletethanks. good to know more on this subject.
ReplyDeletenice post. good to know people are doing their part.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised how many people still use energy eating lightbulbs. We've been using energy savers for years, last a looong time and pay for themselves!
ReplyDeleteColbert did a funny segment on this. You should check it out.
ReplyDelete