Energy Star’s Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
By taking the pledge to change a bulb at www.energystar.gov, you can also see how your state compares in pledges. So far over 2000 New Yorkers have pledged leading the way, maybe the blackout of 2003 got people thinking. Nationwide almost 30,000 people have joined in and prevented over 12 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. A house can produce twice as much greenhouse gases as a car does and 20% of a homes energy use goes to lighting. Compact Fluorescent bulbs or ECObulbs come in the standard varieties found in traditional bulbs, including three way watts, making it easy to convert to most fixtures.
An incandescent bulb that uses about 100 watts has an equivalent brightness in the 25 watts of a CFL. A comparison chart is usually on the packaging along with a projected savings figure according to the number of watts. Since the bulbs were first introduced in the early 1980s they have improved in quality, become more affordable and diversified in style and function. It is important to look for the Energy Star label on the bulbs, as those products have been qualified with the highest savings, averaging between 66% – 78% less energy used and lasting 6-10 times longer.
You can quickly recognize the bulbs by their spiral shape and are usually a little larger than regular incandescent bulbs. Though, several other CFL bulb shapes have emerged including Floodlights and mini-bulbs along with varying tones, like warm white, soft white, cool white and daylight. The Mini-Bulbs and new rounded shapes are a great improvement over the older spiral bulbs, as though always fitted for the sockets, sometimes didn’t fit in the design of lamps as they were too tall. The only other noticeable side effect is some of the bulbs have a louder hum noise, but it quickly fades into the white noise most homes have now.
Comparatively with traditional bulbs, there is just no question that the few dollars more paid for a Compact Fluorescent has immense savings in product life and lower energy bills. The MaxLite brand at 20 watts, replaces a 75 watt bulb and is listed on line at www.hardwarestore.com for $2.49 and the GE brand at $2.97. Local stores will carry them for a bit more, such as Lowe’s which carries a Sylvania Compact Fluorescent bulb for $4.98. Home Depot carries the Phillips brand 15, 20 and 25 watt Earth Light bulb for $10.89, but the rounded shape of the Phillips 16 watt Earth Light sells for $7.97 and may be better suited for most household lamps.
CFL bulbs are becoming more standard in building practices and the technology has great potential as the call for energy audits on private and public design increases. There are mercury atoms in the bulbs as well as a mixture of low pressure gas containing mercury vapor and liquid mercury and because of these mercury contain, the bulbs should be disposed of at a local recycling facility. Or ask the store were the bulbs were bought if they recycle them. Though not dangerous to you directly, there is already enough mercury pollution cause by coal-burning powerplants to risk putting CFL bulbs in land fills too.
Why is it so important to save energy?
For starters it’s good for the health of individuals and the planet. Pollution not only looks and smells nasty; it harms the environment and causes disease. Though a highly contested theory, global warming is becoming known more as a fact amongst the scientific community. Electrical utility companies comprise for a lot of the green house gasses emitted in the air. Saving energy in the home is essential for people to help this growing problem.
U.S. census data shows that approximately 105,842,000 homes were in use in 2003. This only accounts for occupied residential homes, not the millions of vacation, seasonal, apartments, mobile and work places that consume energy. This was also back in 2003, at the rate of growth in suburban sprawl thousands more have been built and planned. Many of these homes depend on power plants built before pollution controls were implemented. As a result, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the bulk of these plants produce 39% of the Carbon-Dioxide (CO2) pollution, 67% of soot forming emissions and 22% of smog in the U.S. These plants are left exempt in grandfather clauses in newly proposed environmental restrictions passed by congress.
These pollutants trap heat in the atmosphere causing record high temperatures and the longer that power plants are permitted to do so, the scenario for global warming gets worse. Perhaps morally the power plants are to blame for ignoring warnings, but economically they are trying to provide public utilities. When we as consumers become aware of concerns and learn of action to take, its also becomes our responsibility. Since there are not melting glaciers in most people’s backyards, CO2 is an elusive, mostly invisible pollutant, and Global Warming rises temperatures at a snails pace. Yet the impact of the temperature rise has implications we do not want to deal with if we can stop it from accelerating.
That human activity is the driving force behind global warming remains a major question to be answered undoubtedly. Yet there are still other factors of power plant pollution that have direct dangers right in our own backyard. Mercury poising causing mental disabilities, poor air quality causing asthma and lung disease and a strew of other health risks. So the reasons keep piling up the longer the problem is ignored and if that isn’t enough to convince you then maybe saving some money will motivate the movement.
