Save money with compact fluorescent bulbs
From Real Tech News and Fast Company I found a great list of reasons why you should use compact fluorescent bulbs (CFCs). Personally just about every light in my place has a CFC. Only exceptions are a couple ones I can’t reach without a tall ladder and a light that has a dimmer switch on it (CFCs don’t work with dimmers). And if you think you can’t put a CFC in an enclosed light, you can! You do have to look for bulbs that allow it (read the fine print) and it will shorten the life of the bulb (so it lasts 6 years instead of 7, big deal). I did try a CFC (original type) in an enclosed light and it died in like days. My bad. And, you can get CFCs in soft white or natural light. We have both kinds and it depends on where the light is which to use. I have the whiter kind in a lamp over my desk, but the yellower kind in the overhead switched light. Energy savings? Huge. Buy a couple to try out. Maybe your desk lamp, or a hallway light. Yes, some CFCs do take a couple seconds to "warm up" and produce full light output, but that is manageable for all the good you’re doing, right? Right?
You bet. BC Hydro out here runs a yearly program to give away CFCs to customers and offer trade-ins for halogen lamps and old-style Christmas tree lights (try the LED ones, last longer, safer, and use a fraction of the energy regular ones do). Check with your local power company if they have a similar program.
2 Comments