A Guide To Saving Energy Dollars Using CFL Light Bulbs In You Home
Ever since Thomas Edison finally made a light bulb that works there has been little change in the common bulb in nearly 100 years. Then came the Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs,(CFLs) . They are designed differently use energy more efficiently. They can save energy dollars in big ways.
Instead of being an incandescent bulb that uses a good amount of energy these are fluorescent bulbs that use less power and can still mimic the warmer glow an incandescent gives. Actually CFLs are designed to give the warm light of the incandescent bulb, the cool light of a fluorescent or a brighter "daylight" look. Many stores have displays showing how a bulb of different Kelvin can give off different light. That's another talk another time. That said I want all to understand that these CFL bulbs save energy dollars.
If you have a 60 watt bulb you can go out to the store or order on-line bulbs that at but 14 watts give off the same light as the 60 watt. Now that can lead to big savings!
Do the math when it comes to a 60 watt incandescent bulb vs a 14 watt CFL that offers the same illumination. When you look at the packaging you will see the larger watt numbers we are familiar with 40, 60, 75 and 100 watt. Then look again at energy used in watts. For a 60 watt equivalent it is 14 watts. That, my friend is a Watt of difference!
In one years time
60 Watt incandescent-$21.68 to operate
14 Watt CFL $5.06 to operate
That is a savings of $16.62.
Here's another
100 Watt incandescent- $36.14
23 Watt CFL $8.31
= Savings of $27.83 per year.
All figures are from Energy Star through LIPA (Long Island Power Authority) NY
If you have an average of 30-50 light bulbs in your home (try counting all you have, you may be VERY surprised at how many there are.) you can save $600-$1,000 a year!!
Even better, though these bulbs do cost more at Point of Sale they last much, MUCH longer. How about 10,000 hours! Here's another money saver. Get a little shoe box and put the cardboard packaging of bulbs you purchase in them along with receipts. Discard the clumsy hard blister packaging. If you are purchasing from a reputable store like a Home Depot you can replace these bulbs for free if they don't last 9 years or so. Check those warranties. They are usually near 10 years. That's a long time and much better life than the old incandescent bulbs.
Now that CFL bulbs have been around and accepted by a wary public the manufacturers are making them in a wide variety of sizes and shapes nto fit all kinds of lighting needs indoors and out. Beside the original spiral shaped CFLs there are small candle-like decorative CFL bulbs, Globe shaped, A-Shaped and reflector bulbs. That makes them good looking and decorative along with saving dollars.
Just a note. CFL bulbs cannot be used in dimmable fixtures. To get around that manufacturers have come out with dimmable CFL bulbs. These are specially marked and are much more expensive to purchase.
CFL bulbs do cost more than the old incandescent but if you do your math, you still save money.
It took me a little while to make the change but I started first by changing bulbs I used most often. Those were the ones that really tend to save dollars too.
Handling a Broken CFL Bulb on Hard Floors and Carpeting
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