Energy Stewardship: Saving the Environment Through Fluorescent Lighting

If you could pay two thirds less for an equivalent service that had four times more environmental benefit, would you make that choice?  

Fluorescent light bulbs use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer.    Over their life they save energy and money.

Example:

Burning a 100 watt bulb 8 hours a day for one year uses 292 kilowatt hours (kwh) of electricity. At current rates in our area that costs about $41.   Burning a 27 watt compact fluorescent, which produces the same amount of light, for eight hours a day for one year uses about 79 kwh and costs about $11.    Incandescent bulbs cost about 50 cents each but over the course of a year would need to be replaced twice if burned 8 hours a day, at a bulb cost of $1.50.   Compact fluorescents cost between $10 and $20 each, but would last for over three years.  In the first year alone total savings would be between $11.50 and $21.50.   Over the life of the fluorescent bulb (10,000 hours or 3years 5 months when used 8 hours a day), total cost would be between $48 and $58 for fluorescent bulb and electricity.  The equivalent cost for an incandescent bulb and electricity would be $145, or between $87 and $97 more.

 

                  Initial    Cost of 1 yr   Cost of bulbs      Cost of electricity     Total 
                   Cost      electricity      for 10,000 hrs     for 10,000 hrs         cost

100w Incand.        $.50              $41               $5                            $140                 $145

27w Fluor.           $10-20         $11                 $10-20                     $38                  $48-58               

 

If the source of electricity is PECO’s normal supply (49% coal and 6% oil), changing one 100 watt incandescent bulb that burns 8 hours a day to a 27 watt compact fluorescent is equivalent to planting 9 trees or avoiding the release of 175 pounds of carbon dioxide, 1.6 pounds of sulphur dioxide and 0.8 pounds of nitrogen oxide, all greenhouse gases playing a major role in global climate change.

Newer fluorescent lights do not have the hum or flicker of older lights. They are available in a variety of color temperatures including full spectrum lights (imitating sunlight).  They come in several different sizes that approximate 60, 75 and 100 watt incandescents. Their different shapes are easily adaptable to almost any situation using incandescent lighting.  Compact fluorescents are widely available at various hardware and lighting stores, IKEA, Home Depot and on the internet.

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