Monday, October 15, 2007

Blog Action Day: CFL's

Today, October 15th, is the Official Blog Action Day. This group wanted to see what would happen if all the blogs would post on one topic on the same day. They intend to do this every year. This year they have asked that everyone write a post about something "green", which we all know what that means at this point. There are over 15,000 blogs currently signed up to participate. We'll see the stats afterwards and see exactly how many blogs and readers are involved. Should be neat.

For my part I - and thousands others, I'm sure - am writing about CFLs, or Compact Fluorescent Lights. These are those spiral bulbs you see on the news and probably in the newspapers, if those even exist anymore. There are a number of positives to using these:

1. Save on Energy Costs - These bulbs use less wattage to provide the same amount of light. Since the energy company bills you per kilowatt that you use, using less wattage equals smaller bills. My energy costs are about 11.5 cents/kW. Therefore by using this cool calculator I can see that I will save $70 per year in energy costs using the CFLs! That equates to about $380 over the life of the bulbs! Which leads us to the second benefit.



2. CFLs last between 5-7 years. This is significantly longer than a standard bulb. So if you have hard to reach places, it can save you a lot of hassle by installing a CFL.



3. They are easier on the environment than standard bulbs. Because they use less energy and last longer, their impact on the environment is better

Of course, there are some negatives to using the CFLs:

1. They cost more. While I am saving $70 a year by switching, these bulbs can be significantly more expensive. The key is to find them on specials. I recently bought a bunch of them on sale for about $1.33 each at Sam's Club. And I know Wal-Mart just announced a new store brand of CFLs that will be priced around $1. One incandescent bulb costs around 40-50 cents. So buying the CFL bulbs means a larger up front investment in light bulbs, which is not a very sexy investment.



2. They take time to warm up. Most CFL bulbs take some time to warm up when you turn them on. They will gradually get brighter. This is a turn off for some people



3. They are not easily disposable. Because they contain small amounts of mercury, CFLs need to be disposed of properly. This generally means taking them to a recycling place. Home Depot and Lowes both have drop offs at their stores. So it's not that big of a deal. Or you can go to earth911.org and find out where to bring them. (This is also an excellent resource for finding places to recycle other materials such as oil and paint!)

In my opinion, the bulbs are totally worth the extra upfront investment and hassle of returning them. They save A LOT of money over their lifetime. I've changed all the bulbs in my house that I can.

Have you changed any of yours? What do you think about CFLs?



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Labels: Blog Action Day

Posted by Adam Wilson :: 9:00 AM :: 1 comments

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