Save Money by Using Carbon Fluorescent Light Bulbs

First in a series of articles about saving money by saving energy  

Hi Folks,

Looking for ways to save money is an ongoing endeavor for a lot of retirees. And now our country is searching for ways to save energy. So this emphasis on saving energy is helping retirees save money on our utility bills and conserve energy as well.

Today I am beginning a series of articles on saving energy and, generally, saving energy equates to saving money. Most of us have read most of these energy saving tips before but I’ll bet most of us haven’t put many of them into use. Yet we can save a lot of money by putting these energy saving tips into use. 

For instance, I have a friend that changed all of his incadescent bulbs for Carbon Fluorscent bulbs. He says this one little change is saving him almost $5.00 a month on his electric bill.   

Read on – the information in these energy saving articles will save you, and those you share this information with, a bundle of money.

Woody

Carbon Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Saving Energy – Using CFLs Will Save You As Much As 66% In Energy Cost.

For most homes in developed countries, lighting alone accounts for 9% of the total energy requirement. For other parts of the world, it is far more than that. Thus, using cost-efficient lighting is a real must for saving energy.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are made to be very efficient, using 66% less energy than conventional light bulbs. Just by changing from incandescent to CFLs could reduce electrical consumption up to 7%.

When compared to regular light bulbs, CFLs give the same amount of luminescence for less power. And while CFLs have a  higher purchase price than incandescent bulbs, CFLs have a longer life (approximately 12 times than the incandescent light bulbs – about 11,000 hours). So you can expect to save $30 in electrical costs during the bulbs lifetime.

A recent article claimed that if a household changes 30 bulbs in their home, investing approximately $90, the money saved in the span of five years could be anywhere from $500 to $1,500 depending on the areas electrical costs. For commercial buildings and other larger establishments, the savings are even greater. An average CFL at 75 watts could save $22 dollars in direct energy savings per year. If that is multiplied by the number of light bulbs in a building, and include the cost of labor that could be saved from changing light bulbs, the savings could rise exponentially. True, there is a capital investment of about $2 USD per fixture; however that could be recovered in a month from money saved.

Some manufacturers of CFLs apply a titanium dioxide coating. This is because titanium dioxide is claimed to neutralize bacteria, odors and molds. And many manufacturers of CFLs apply a luminous coating to the bulb for the purpose of luminescence after the CFL is turned off. The idea behind this is that a little light could still remain, even for a short while, in cases of power failure and accidents.

Because Carbon Fluorescent Lamps do not emit as much heat as incandescent light bulbs, there is less work for our air conditioners.

Surely there must be a downside.

If this could be called a downside, CFLs behave differently from the ordinary incandescent bulbs. For one, it takes longer to attain its full brightness depending on the temperature. The colder the room, the longer it will take for the bulb to give off full brightness. CFL also gives off the brightest light during its first use and begins to dull gradually, giving off less light as it nears the end of its life; a CFL is expected to reduce its brightness by 20% from its original brightness upon first installation. But that is just about it.

Today we realize that the fuels we are using are non-renewable thus our focus on saving energy. This is why even in the field of lighting, continuous research is being done to further reduce the cost of lighting our homes and businesses, and industry.

Solid state lighting, for example, is widely used in traffic lights; although for now, using this technology to as an energy saving method for domestic usage is still being developed as the current cost is still high. So, for now, using CFLs is the best way of saving energy on home and business lighting.

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