Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Did you know that by replacing a single standard light bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb, you can save $30 to $50 over the lifetime of that light bulb? Now, let’s take that thought a step further. Did you know that if every home in the United States swapped out just one regular, standard bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power 2.5 million homes? Ladies and Gentlemen, the “squiggly” bulb has power to save energy and reduce your power bill.

We all want to conserve energy and we all definitely want lower monthly bills, so what is the hesitation when it comes to replacing our regular bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs? Only two reasons I can think of are; 1) They look funny and 2) they are more expensive in the upfront cost than that of standard bulbs.

Ok, yes, they do look odd, I agree, and they are not what we are accustomed to looking at. Fair enough, but did you know that your safe “regular” light bulb is designed to only last 750 to 1000 hours? Then guess what? You guessed it, it is time to buy another one. On the other hand, the compact fluorescent light bulb is designed to last between 8,000 and 15,000 hours! Do the math! How many standard bulbs will you have gone through before your silly, squiggly bulb needs to be replaced? The squiggly bulb will cost you about 3-4 times as much as a standard bulb, but it will last 8-15 times longer. In our home, this simple math is a “no brainer” and we are slowly replacing each bulb in the house to a compact fluorescent light bulb as the old standards ones burn out.

The compact fluorescent light bulb was originally introduced in the early 80’s and great improvements have been made in it’s design and light quality. Did you know that Home Depot gave away 1 million compact fluorescent light bulbs on Earth Day 2007? Also, Wal-Mart is on the bandwagon to help promote awareness of this funny looking light bulb. Wal-Mart plans to get at least one compact fluorescent light bulb in the hands of each of their 100 million customers. In Canada, representatives from a special cause organization are actually going door-to-door to give a compact fluorescent light bulb to the residents.

It’s high time that all energy consumers realize the power of the compact fluorescent light bulb. They last longer, save energy, reduce pollution, and save money in our monthly electricity bill. It seems to be a win-win situation in my opinion.