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Health & Fitness

Let's Save Energy - Replace Those Old Energy-Wasting Bulbs!

We’ve talked a lot about air leaks and how to save on your heating bill.   This week let’s spend some time talking about how to save on your electric bill.   One very simple and very effective way is to reduce your lighting bill.  The most obvious way is to turn off lights when you don’t need them.  We’ve talked about that one already.  But what about when you do need the lights on?  And, in the kitchen and living room that can be for several hours per day.  Those two rooms probably consume 80% of your lighting bill.  

So how do we save energy when we need the lights on?  Simple. If you are still using incandescent light bulbs, get rid of them, and switch to CFL’s.  Better yet, switch to LED’s.   What are CFL’s?  That stands for Compact Fluorescent Lights.  They are essentially the fluorescent lights (long tubular lights) you have seen in schools, workshops, and stores, but miniaturized and twisted so that they are about the same size as a normal incandescent bulb.  They are 75% more efficient than a normal light bulb, and last 10 times as long- so you won’t replace them nearly as often.  This means that over the life of 1 CFL, you will save $284 versus using normal incandescent bulbs.  Multiply that by the 15 or 20 lights you have in your home – it quickly adds up and that becomes pretty serious savings (over $5600!).


Better yet are LED lights.  LED stands for Light Emitting Diode.  These are essentially lights with electronic circuits in their base.  They are 83% more efficient than normal bulbs, and last 50 times as long.   This means that over the life of 1 LED light, you would save $303.  At this point CFL’s are very inexpensive, but LED lights are still a bit costly.  But LED’s are the wave of the future, and over the next couple of years their cost will come way down, making the savings that much more significant.  

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What would you rather spend your $5600 on?   Wasteful lighting or something nice for your home?


Energy Saving Tip of the Week
Start with replacing every frequently used incandescent bulb in your home (focus on kitchen and living room) to energy saving CFL’s.  Next year, or the year after, upgrade to LED’s once they become less expensive.  Your wallet will love it…and so will the Earth.


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