How Many Light Bulbs Does it Take to Make a Difference

The fall chill is in the air. Baseball playoffs, football season, Halloween and Thanksgiving are upon us. But there’s another side to the cool weather and candy gorging season. The days are getting shorter and that means lights are burning longer.

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the past five years, you’ve probably noticed the push to replace regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). This isn’t just another money-making scheme from manufacturers and electric companies. There’s a practical side to this switch which benefits you (and your wallet), the environment, and our future.

I’m no tree hugger, but I’ve seen the light (pun intended). Last year, I replaced about 50% of my 60 watt incandescent light bulbs with 15 watt or less CFLs. The light output remained the same, meaning I didn’t have to sacrifice the quality of light just because I was choosing a more eco-friendly option. The best part—I knocked about $50 off of my energy bill each month!

Thanks to my background working at a lighting company, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about lighting options first hand. Although consumer CFLs have existed for well over a decade, today’s quality CFLs are making a grand entrance at a retail level and holding their own against the archaic technology of incandescent light bulbs.

CFL Snap Shot
• Save up to 75% in energy costs; means more $ in your pocket (up to $30 over the life of the CFL)
• CFLs last up to ten times longer than regular light bulbs. Think about it: instead of changing light bulbs every few months, you only need to replace them once every few years. This also means spending less time and money buying wasteful incandescent light bulbs.
• Reduction in energy consumption means less energy needs to be generated at power plants which reduces carbon and mercury emissions.
• Available in many shapes and sizes—For those who still don’t like the swirly ice cream cone look of traditional CFLs, today’s styles come in household shapes like globes, decs and As (the ones you stick in your chandeliers and table/floor lamps)
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), each CFL prevents more than 450 lbs of greenhouse gas emissions.

Choosing the right CFL for Your Home
• Color – Most people prefer the soft glow of incandescent lights. The color creates a warm, inviting atmosphere. If you want the same appeal with the benefits of energy savings, look for CFLs that are 2700 Kelvin (K) which is the soft white equivalent of light color. If you prefer the appearance of natural daylight, find CFLs at 6500K. Most retailers are carrying a wider assortment of color temperatures these days to ensure you find the light that’s right for you and your home.
• Shape – Personally I don’t get why people still don’t like the cute design of mini-twist CFLs. If you prefer more traditional styles, you’re in luck. Check out your local home center or hardware store for a variety of options to meet the needs of any household application.

Things to Know about CFLs
• Dimmable CFLs – Due to CFL circuitry, the lamps don’t operate well with dimmable fixtures which end up limiting the lamps’ life. Look for CFLs marked specifically as “dimmable.”
• Outdoor Use – We all know water and electricity don’t mix. If you want to save money outdoors too, use a CFL marked specifically for “outdoor use” and place it in an enclosed fixture (no exposed light bulbs!).
• Mercury Content – All CFLs contain a small amount of mercury (just enough to cover the tip of a ball point pen actually). Still, handle CFLs with care. If they happen to break, open your windows and doors to ventilate the area. Be sure to properly clean the space and dispose of mercury appropriately. Click here for clean up details from the EPA.

When CFLs Just Don’t Work with Your Lighting Needs
• Chandeliers / Dimmable Fixtures – If a fixture limits light bulbs to a maximum wattage of 60 watts, that doesn’t mean you need to use a 60 watt lamp. Because I couldn’t find dimmable candelabra based CFLs, I replaced all of my chandelier lights with 15 to 20 watt decorative incandescent light bulbs. Sure, the output isn’t as bright as it was before, but nine lamps still provide plenty of ambient light for dinner time.
• Bath bars with multiple sockets – Who said you need to have light bulbs in every socket? It may be aesthetically pleasing, but not necessary. For example, my hall bath has a three light bath bar which uses 100 watt halogens. You could land a plane in there with the amount of light that’s being produced. The middle socket now uses an 80 watt halogen and we’ve left the other two empty. Waste not, want not.

Old habits die hard. After all, the incandescent light bulb is over 100 years old. However, if we could move from typewriters to laptops, record players to iPods, and hard wire phones to cells, what’s keeping us from killing the (old) lights and using the newest technology available?

Come on! It’s time to take the next step in lighting technology. As the EPA/DOE says, “Change a light, change the world.” It really is that easy.