Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Save Energy and Money
The new compact fluorescent light bulbs have become smaller and have improved lighting power and color. They also use only about 15 % of the energy of a traditional light bulb.
Only after taking into consideration upvc windows and doors, should you move onto the lighting part and the costs involved.
The first person to convince me that compact fluorescent light bulbs may be the way to go was Janet Kruger, who owns the Lights On lighting store in Mankato, Minnesota. She recently made the public comment that they had “switched a lot of our lights in the showroom because the old ones gave off so much heat. We’d be running the air conditioner by this time of year normally.” After also noticing that their showroom was much cooler than usual, Ms. Kruger confirmed that their electric rates have dropped since they switched out the traditional bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs. That gave me the bright idea to look into whether we should switch out the bulbs in our home, barn, and shop for the new compact fluorescent light bulbs.
The initial cost of compact fluorescent bulbs is more, although just like every other new thing, the prices are coming down. The good news is that the return in energy savings is relatively fast. Compact fluorescent light bulbs last about 10 times longer than standard light bulbs and use about 25 % less energy to produce the same amount of light.
There are other differences I was unaware of too. Because compact fluorescent bulbs use less energy to produce the same amount of light, the bulb wattage will be different. For example, to replace 60-watt standard light bulbs, I will need 15-watt compact fluorescent light bulbs. However, before I was able to hit the panic button about remembering that conversion figure, I learned that the compact fluorescent light bulb boxes have the wattage equivalents printed on them. They also make compact fluorescent light bulbs for 3-way lamps and dimmer switches.
The last compact fluorescent bulb I saw, which was admittedly quite some time ago, gave off a horrendous blue-toned light. The newer ones brighten more quickly now, and they give off a much nicer, whiter light that’s comfortable for one’s home.
The question of mercury and disposal of compact fluorescent bulbs have been expressed concerns of many. However, no mercury is ever released from the bulbs, unless one is broken. If that occurs, sweep up the broken bulb, put it in a sealed bag, use a wet paper towel to clean up any other particles, and thoroughly wash your hands. As far as disposal goes, most stores are beginning to take used fluorescent bulbs, normally without charge.
With all that said, there’s still a couple of things about the compact fluorescent bulb that are unappealing to me: that spiral appearance (I’ll get over it) and the fact that the bulbs sometimes won’t fit under a lamp shade or light fixture. The higher the wattage, the longer the fluorescent bulb. This can mean buying a lamp shade extender, a different size fixture, or a smaller watt bulb.
When all is said and done, however, I’m ready to make the switch.
