Save Money and Go Green, Replace Regular Bulbs With Compact Fluorescent Lights

CFL bulbs

	GE 13-Watt Energy SmartTM - 8 Pack - 60 watt replacement Amazon Price: $7.75
	GE 13-Watt Energy SmartTM 60 Watt Replacement - 2 Packs of 8 Bulbs - 16 Total Bulbs Amazon Price: $14.75
	GE 26 Watt Energy Smart CFL - 6 Pack - 100 Watt Replacement Amazon Price: $9.39
	Feit Electric ESL40TN/D 42-Watt Compact Fluorescent High-Wattage Bulb, Daylight Amazon Price: $10.93 List Price: $19.99

Replace Regular Bulbs With CFL's

Replace Regular Bulbs With CFL's: Within Reason Be Smart

The savings associated with CFL replacement can indeed be very substantial. For example if you replace 5 60 watt and 2 100watt bulbs with the equivalent Compact Fluorescent Light, you would save about $50.00 per year and almost $300.00 over a 6 year light. We all know that CFL's last longer and that is a good thing.

I suggest replacing bulbs as they burn out, therefore you maximize your savings. Some that I think people need to know is that you DO NOT need a 60 watt fluorescent to replace a 60 watt incandescent. In general you can use the following rules of thumb, depending on the room dynamics you may want more or less lighting.

Standard Bulb CFL Bulb
60w = 13w-15w
75w = 20w
100w = 26w-29w
150w = 38w-42w

There are unfortunately a few downsides to CFL lighting that are definitely not "Green". They do contain small amounts of mercury, I have seen various estimates from various sources, but it is indeed a very small amounts , less than say a single drop of water or a few milligrams. The key here is disposal, do not throw them in the garage. Look for the best option to dispose of that old bulb, you can check out www.earth911.org they have a interface on there web page were you can search for a place by zip code to dispose of items like CFL's.

There are various other issues with the CFL's but they are minor. Personally the light, no matter what color type bothers my eyes. I therefore keep a combination of regular bulbs and CFL's in my home. I hope that the CFL's improve and they will produce a bulb that will not bother my eyes.

I have also read in various place that epileptics' maybe sensitive to the CFL flicker and they could cause seizures. Ironically I saw this flickering light scenario used in a CSI Miami episode. I think this effect needs to be considered if your family has someone who has this issue.

Otherwise I think CFL's are great, they save the environment (if used and disposed properly) , provide great light and save me from having to go into those "hard to get to" places less often.

I have used many brands like GE, Lights of America, Phillips to name a few. I tend to like the GE products but the others are fine.