Switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
February 14th, 2007 | by Brian Carr |Okay, first off, let me preface this article by saying that I just watched An Inconvenient Truth
In that same vein, if this article can help you save a couple of bucks at the same time, then I definitely feel like I’ve done my job!
Anyway, today I’m going to encourage you to go ahead and switch from your regular incandescent light bulbs. Lately, a lot has been made of these relatively new bulbs - so much so, that the California State Legislature is looking to pass a bill that would outlaw the sale of regular incandescent light bulbs within the next decade.
So why all the fuss? Well, according to Energystar.gov:
“If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR [compact fluorescent bulb], we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gasses equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.”
That’s some pretty serious stuff for just one simple light bulb. But what does all of that mean for you? It means you can do your part to help the environment and potentially save hundreds of dollars doing so.
According to Energystar.gov, you will save nearly $30 in energy costs for each incandescent light bulb you switch out with a compact fluorescent bulb. And, because the compact fluorescent bulbs last longer than regular bulbs, the extra $2 or you have to spend for each bulb is essentially a wash due to the fact you won’t have to replace the compact fluorescent nearly as often as you do the regular bulb.
But now I’m ready to talk some serious numbers - I went around my house today and I counted the number of light bulbs I currently have, and I came up with a total of 48 bulbs. That means that if I were to switch out all 52 regular bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, over their lifetime I would save roughly $1,500 in energy costs.
And on that note, this weekend I’m going to go swing by Wal-Mart or Costco and buy some compact fluorescent bulbs in bulk and begin to put them in my light fixtures and lamps once the regular bulbs start to burn out.
I’ll gladly throw down $60 in light bulbs if the return is $1,500! Oh yeah, and I’ll be doing my part to help the environment, too!
10 Responses to “Switch to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs”
By Jason Petty on Feb 15, 2007 | Reply
I have been in the lighting business for 20 years and have witnessed the evolution of the CFL. What I have found that the key to liking the light is directly associated to the brand bulb you buy. It is all about color temperature. Some brands cast a “white” light that is not easy on the eyes - what you want to look for are bulbs that truly produce 2700K.
We sell nearly every brand out there but I can absolutely say that what you want in your house is TCP brand. TCP is the largest producer of CFL’s in the world and from our experience as a distributor; we believe they are the closest to producing true 2700K. Whether you buy them from us is your choice but it makes me sick when I go into someone’s house and their yellow walls turned green - simply because of the color temp that the CFL produce.
Another option is Cold Cathode technology. These are lower wattage bulbs that produce a nice yellow light and come in a variety of designs. They work great in lamps that you want to leave on all the time. I have them in lamps in our house and they never go off… and I can unscrew them at any point with our burning my hand. They take a while to warm up but they are great for the environment and they cast a good light. Here is a link if you want to check them out.
http://www.soslightbulbs.com/shop/customer/home.php?cat=1703
We all want everyone to convert to CFL’s or LED’s or even the newest technology Cold Cathode Lamps BUT we all need to have a good experience when we plug them in AND actually like the light output. If any of you need or want to learn more go to http://www.soslightbulbs.com then click the home icon in the center of the page - we have put some pretty informative stuff on there, even a energy savings calculator.
I know that this sounds like I am selling BUT I want everyone to have a good experience with a conversion to low wattage CFL’s whether or not they buy them from SOS is really up to you. I think Home Depot is carrying a decent line of CFL’s that we have tested if you would prefer to buy them there. What is ultimately important is that we all try to conserve where we can and be less dependant on power companies to produce more and more energy through environmentally unfriendly means such as coal plants.
http://www.SOSLightBulbs.com
By Lindsey on Feb 24, 2007 | Reply
I really do hope everyone switches at least one of their light bulbs in their home to a CFL. It would help save the planet and money.A buddy of mine, who is a teacher, came across this company that works with schools to do environmentally friendly fund raisers. Not only do the schools make extra money but they help the environment and make people more aware of global warming as well. They also offer lesson plans for teachers who are interested in teaching their students about the environment as well as lesson plans for An Inconvenient Truth. Their main product is compact fluorescent light bulbs which save a ton of energy and money compared with incandescent bulbs. They are called One Plant Fund raising and their website is http://www.oneplanetfundraising.com. Definitely worth checking out!
By Robert on Mar 4, 2007 | Reply
This is another site that is set up to help schools, churches, scouts and other groups raise money by selling CFL bulbs. They let you pick a collection of 5 different light bulbs and personalize your order form for your group. There are several energy calculators and the neat thing is they track their total energy savings, CO2 reduction and cola reduction on the top of their website that will be updated as bulbs are sold, as well as a grand prize to the group that sells the most. Check them out at http://www.LightbulbsAmerica.com
By brian.carr on Mar 11, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for the comments. I’m glad everyone feels as strongly about CFLs as I do. It’s my mission to have every regular light bulb replaced with a CFL by the end of the year!
By TC4SURE on Mar 12, 2007 | Reply
I have used the various types fo CF for a few years now. They have made great progress in the improvements. But please remember, These bulbs contain Mercury, and need to be disposed of properly. Lets keep thinking of the enviroment and not just throw them in the trash when they do burn out in 3 years or so.
By brian.carr on Mar 12, 2007 | Reply
That’s an interesting point; I’ve never heard of that before. Where should people dispose of the CFL bulbs?
By Gordon E. Peterson II on Apr 20, 2007 | Reply
The discussion about CFLs is interesting but dated, since I consider CFLs as for the most part technologically obsolete.
I think that Cold Cathode (CCFL) lamps are a FAR better alternative, and I’ve been replacing both incandescent and CFL lamps at my house with CCFLs… presently I have more CCFL bulbs installed here than all other kinds combined. See my Web site at personal dot terabites dot com slash ccathode dot html for a summary of my experiences with cold cathode lighting in my home.
But basically… you get (perhaps) nightlight mode; you get INSTANT light (no delay like CFL), you get wider temperature range, you can dim them, you get far longer life than CFLs (2.5-4x), less mercury…. simply a superior experience, all around.
By Doug on Jun 12, 2007 | Reply
Yes, the ccfl lamps are wonderful great for….scoreboards, Las Vegas signs and anywhere where you need alot of lamps that put out small amounts of light..The highest ccfl lamp is around 8 watts.
For the future they will be great, just wait for them to get a little bit brighter!
By a saver on Jul 11, 2007 | Reply
Change the ordinary light bulbs before they go out. Its actually more saving in change them right away then to wait. Calculate the amount of energy they will consume before the ran out compare to the saving you will get from the new lamp…
By Rebecca on Sep 30, 2007 | Reply
The house I’m renting has 9 recessed lighting in the kitchen area with incandescent light (60 watts each) when I moved in almost 3 years ago. My kitchen looked dim, everything looks yellow and it seems hotter. I bought TCP CFL’s a year before and I think they’re the best CFLs around, so I replaced all the bulbs in my house with TCP CFLs. I used almost 3 cases, which I bought from Goodmart.com. My husband and I couldn’t be more pleased. The bulbs cost a lot, but my utility bill went down by atleast $25-$30 a month. I’ve saved approximately $775.00 since I’ve had the CFL bulbs. I already got the money I spent on the bulbs and then some.