The U.S. Department of Energy says changing even one of those bulbs can make a difference.
“If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star-qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars,” says the Department of Energy on its website, energystar.gov.
To consider the transition from incandescent to fluorescent lighting, here is a basic comparison of the two products.
Comparing Costs of CFLs and Incandescents
For a first-time compact fluorescent light bulb buyer, it can be a jaw-slackening moment to see the price tag. Incandescent light bulbs have long seemed cheap enough to be little thought of, and often replaced.
The prospect of making the shift into the environmentally-friendly lighting zone understandably may make one clutch his/her dollars and pause for a second thought.
But the price disparity stands to narrow as CFL technology continues to grow, offering broader options, and as more and more consumers get on board with the future of green living.
At buylighting.com, a classic 100-watt incandescent light bulb rated for 10,000 hours of use sells for $3.25; and an equivalently-juiced CFL bulb operates on 23 watts for 15,000 hours and sells for $7.00.
By these numbers, it is true that a compact fluorescent may cost a consumer more at the store checkout. For a highly price-sensitive consumer, that information may be all that is necessary to postpone entering the CFL market.
But there are other factors – such as the myriad lighting options available for various home uses, and the different brands and prices – to be considered.
Comparing Efficiency of CFLs and Incandescents
Fluorescents typically require about a quarter of the energy an incandescent light bulb does. Hence, the 23-watt CFL is described as the “equivalent” of a 100-watt incandescent.
The U.S. Department of Energy says that as much as 90 percent of the energy generated by the filament in an incandescent light bulb is wasted. Compact fluorescents use 75 percent less energy – and create 75 percent less heat – as the light is created by gases which remain within the bulb.
Safety Concerns of Light Bulbs
The common habit of tossing light bulbs into trash cans, or into recycling bins, needs to be avoided when dealing with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury, making it necessary to dispose of the bulbs by means other than common trash bins.
The Sierra Club instructs on its blog, The Green Life, to find a CFL recycling center near your location by going to the following Web site: recycleabulb.com; or use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s directory.
