Compact Fluorescent Lamps ( CFLs), the Eco-Friendly Electric Bulbs.
In hard time like today, not only the climate change makes us distressed; the energy bill does too. They seem to only have one similarity: causing headache, but in fact, they have more parallels than that. Raising energy bill will cause raising temperature too, and there is one way to cut them down in one action: reducing the energy use!
The raised energy bill mean the use of energy is increasing, causing more energy to be produced at the power plant. When producing energy, power plant, especially coal power plant, generate lots of carbon dioxide, which will accumulate in the atmosphere as greenhouse gas that at the end will trap the heat that makes the Earth’s temperature increase.
So you can see, reducing your energy consumption is essential to relieve your energy bill, the temperature and your headache! It can be done by smartly choosing energy-saving electrical house appliances and green light bulbs, like Compact Fluorescent Lamps ( CFLs).
Replacing one incandescent electric bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent bulb means 1,000 pounds less carbon dioxide is emitted to the atmosphere and $67 dollars is saved on energy costs over the bulb’s lifetime.
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Alliance to Save Energy)
CFLs are Energy Saving.
CFLs are very efficient light bulbs, as they consume 80% less energy to supply the same amount of light as an incandescent lamp. This is because incandescent lamp turns only about five to ten percent of its consumed energy into light, while the rest, 90 up to 95%, is wasted as heat. So with applying CFLs you can avoid such energy waste (energy expense waste plus unnecessary emission).
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs have Longer Lifespan.
As for the lifespan, once again incandescent bulb is far beaten by CFL. It’s got only one seventh up to one sixth of the Cal’s lifespan. To make it clear, the incandescent bulb lifespan is around 1,000 up to 1,500 hours, while CFL is about 10,000 hours. The Energy Stars even makes a straight example : A 60-watt incandescent bulb lasts about 750 hours; a fluorescent bulb with 1/3 the wattage will produce the same light and burn for 7,500 to 10,000 hours in five to ten years of normal use.
The only thing the traditional incandescent bulb can beat CFL is its lower purchase price, CFL light bulb requires you to invest purchase price of 3 to 10 times higher, but the higher price is compensated by the energy saving one could have with a CFL. Just remember, 80% energy saving each time you switch on the lamp, that according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Alliance to Save Energy, from each CFL you can earn US$ 67 saving on the energy cost over its life time. The Department of Environmental Quality, illustrates that if you replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs, it will lower the electrical bill for lighting up to 75%. By replacing 20 75-watt incandescent bulbs with 23-watt CFLs, you can save 1,040 watts for every hour that the lamps burned. At five hours per day, this means saving over 2,000 kWh or about $208 back in your pocket every year.
So you can see CFLs have all the aspects of green lamps: green to the environment and green to our wallet. It is really a good choice for home lighting, yet there is still another choice of what some people find to be a greener bulb: LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulb. However if you rather prefer using CFLs, as lots of us do, then you might want to learn more about CFLs.: