Sunday, October 07, 2007

CFLs Light the Way to Savings

Sunday, October 07, 2007
CFL light bulbs are pretty cool. I have replaced almost every light bulb in my house with these energy-saving, long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs. It's true that these bulbs often cost a little more at the store than regular bulbs, but they last up to 13 times longer, so they really are a better value for your money. Not only that, but they will save you money on your power bill as well. CFLs use up to 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs. Did you know that if every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an Energy Star-qualified CFL, the EPA says that we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and would eliminate some 800,000 cars' worth of greenhouse-gas emissions annually? So I challenge you to change a light bulb today!

PS - If you want to read more, I borrowed most of my info for this post from an article I read in this month's Costco Connection

4 comments:

Val said...

I love these things!

Anonymous said...

CFLs are great for saving energy, but it is imperative that they be properly disposed of. All florescent light bulbs contain mercury. Mercury is a toxic and dangerous pollutant. It can leach into groundwater if florescent light bulbs are disposed of in landfills. Florescent light bulbs must be taken to a hazardous waste disposal center for safe disposal.

Kimberly said...

True, thanks Brian - I should have included that... I figure since they last so long, I can make a trip every few years to the local fire station to drop off any old bulbs when they collect hazardous waste!

Lisa O said...

We have noticed a difference in our energy bill since we switched to CFLs last year...although from a photographer's standpoint they sure make for poor indoor lighting for picture taking. :(