Eco Green Tips

photo credit: thingermejig

Imagine this: if every American household replaced just one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent one, enough energy would be conserved to provide light for more than 3 million homes a year and $600 million in annual energy cost would be saved. Moreover, we would prevent greenhouse gasses equivalent to the emission of 800,000 cars!

So what are Compact Fluorescent Lights? They were invented by Ed Hammer, an engineer with General Motors, in 1973 and are simply miniature versions of full-size fluorescents. They screw into standard lamp sockets, and give off light that looks like the common incandescent bulbs but, unlike the incandescents, they last up to ten times longer and are four times more efficient. Moreover, they use 75% less energy, produce about 75% less heat (which, in the long run, will save money on electricity used to cool your house) and save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime.

The purchase price of a CFL is higher than that of an incandescent bulb, but this cost is recovered in energy savings and replacement costs over the bulb’s lifetime. The CFLs are also available in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit in any fixture, indoors and outdoors, e.g.

• spiral lamp—a continuous  tube in a spiral shape which has similar outside shape and light casting qualities to a standard incandescent bulb
• triple tube lamp—has more tubing in a small area and generates more light in a shorter bulb; good for table or reading lamps
• globe lamp—reduces heat build-up, used mainly in bathroom or vanities where multiple bulbs are required
• standard lamp—designed to give the appearance of the traditional bulb; light similar to the “soft-white” of the incandescent bulb
• candelabra—designed for smaller light fixtures, e.g.: chandeliers or scones
• flood lamp—designed for recessed and track lighting fixtures, indoors and outdoors; provides diffused, soft, white light, and generates less heat than incandescent flood or a halogen bulb

When choosing the right CFL, find one that is labeled as equivalent to the incandescent bulb you are replacing. Most manufacturers nowadays include such information on the packaging to make it easier for the consumers to find the right CFL bulb. The examples of terms used include “soft-white 60” or “60 watt replacement”.   The newer CFLs,  available on the market, give a warm, inviting light instead of the cool white light of older fluorescents, thanks to the rare earth phosphors that is used for excellent color and warmth. The also don’t flicker or hum… Moreover, they are versatile and can be used everywhere incandescent lights are used, e.g. recessed fixtures, table lamps, track lighting, ceiling fixtures and porch lights; 3-way CFLs are also available for lamps with 3-way settings and dimmable CFLs—for lights using a dimmer switch.

And most importantly, Compact Fluorescent Lights reduce air and water pollution! Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone just in the US used energy-efficient lighting, 90 average size power plants could be retired. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.

So don’t wait any longer and go get some CFLs. Even one will make a difference!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 at 10:52 am and is filed under Energy, Products, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.