I've finally decided to jump on board and try Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL) in my new home. Today I bought three GE Energy Smart 20 watt CFL's. The 20 watt CFL is equivalent to a 75 watt incandescent light bulb. These new bulbs are supposed to last 6 years or 10,000 hours of operation. An incandescent light bulb typically only lasts about 750 hours. That means you'd need 14 incandescent bulbs to each fluorescent bulb. The cost of the bulb is payed for just comparing bulbs not even considering the energy savings.
Obviously using these bulbs is a great way to start living "green". Some may argue that the Mercury contained in them poses a significant environmental issue, however, with proper education people will realize that they need to be disposed of properly. These bulbs are also energy star certified.
I put three of these in an overhead light fixture in our breakfast nook and I was quite impressed. The color of the light has improved drastically and the bulbs come on almost immediately. I plan on slowly replacing bulbs throughout the house and hopefully we'll realize some decent savings on our electric bill. One word of caution, these bulbs do contain mercury so they must be disposed of properly according to local disposal laws.
UPDATE: 5-6-08, One of these CFL bulbs has already "blown", "burnt out", "kicked the bucket" and died. Hmm.....I THOUGHT THESE WERE SUPPOSED TO LAST A LONG TIME!! Maybe I just have bad luck......I'll try again.
Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, DIY, CFL, compact fluorescent light bulbs, green building, energy star.
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