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Living Green Solutions
FAQ’S & Light Bulb Buying Guide
FACT: If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.
FACT: You save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime. The average U.S. household has 45 light bulbs; replacing that number of 75-watt incandescent bulbs with CFLs would save $180 per year.
FACT: CFL bulbs produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.
CHEAPEST BULB VS EXPENSIVE BULB: If the higher cost of a CFL bulb is stopping you from stocking up, think Dallas Light Bulb. Our CFL’s are priced very competitively. (available on our website). The bulbs are designed to last six times longer and use 80 percent less energy, and will last up to 8,000 hours. The light casts from the bulbs are warm, neutral, cool white, daylight, and sun light colors. Use these bulbs in almost any area such as the basement, laundry room, or garage.
DIMMABLE BULBS: The other biggest complaint about CFL bulbs is that they don't work with a dimmer. To use one with a dimmer switch, you must buy a bulb that's specifically made to work with dimmers.
UNUSUAL FIXTURES: There are energy-saving bulbs for the chandelier or vanity mirror in the bathroom too. Vanity Globe CFL’s are designed for bathroom vanity fixtures. Phosphor coating mixed together will help soften the bright light and mimic the warmth of incandescent bulbs. These bulbs also use 70 percent less energy than traditional light bulbs. For chandeliers, look for decorative candle-shaped lights using energy efficient light technology. These lights will work with most chandeliers and clip-on shades can snap right on top; this will also help diffuse the light a bit more, too. Try the reflector CFL’s. Perfect for high-ceiling fixtures such as overhead lights and illuminating ceiling fans, these bulbs cast a soft white light and last up to six years, making them a good, hassle-free choice.
SPOTLIGHTS: Outdoor floodlights can be a real energy hog; a traditional spotlight uses 100 watts of energy and can be left turned on all night if the home doesn't have a motion sensor for outdoor flood lights. Try the outdoor floodlight that looks like a regular bulb, but has a CFL bulb inside, covered by a hard glass cover that mimics a floodlight. It puts out the same light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb, but uses only 23 watts of energy; over the life of the bulb (10,000 hours), the average home will save $92 in energy costs.
NEXT TECHNOLOGY: Light-emitting diodes (LED’s) are tiny, yet powerful sources of light that are even more energy-efficient than CFLs. Manufacturing LED’s that produce the light equivalent to a 60-watt bulb is expensive, however. One bulb can cost as much as $75, but they last 10 times LONGER than a CFL bulb, or 60,000 hours with a total cost of energy of just $12 to power that bulb for the full 60,000 hours.
TIP IF YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT INCANDESCENT BULBS: Then choose a lower wattage bulb. Instead of a 60-watt bulb in a lamp, try something with less wattage, such as a 40-watt bulb. It's using less electricity, but you won't reap as much savings in electricity costs and the bulbs will need to be replaced more frequently.
TIP FOR RECYCLING YOUR LIGHTBULBS: CFLs contain a small amount of mercury and should be disposed of properly — ideally, recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, CFLs contain an average of five milligrams of mercury, which increases the bulb's efficiency. But that also means you can't just trash them. CFL’s must be properly recycled.
Visit EARTH911.org and type in "CFL" and your city/state to find a recycling center near you.
Did You Know ?
· According to a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA), a global switch to efficient lighting systems would trim the world's electricity bill by nearly one-tenth. The carbon dioxide emissions saved by such a switch would dwarf cuts so far achieved by adopting wind and solar power. According to Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst with the IEA and one of the report's authors, "19% of global electricity generation is taken for lighting- that's more than is produced by hydro or nuclear stations and about the same that's produced from natural gas."
· Natural lighting is being used to do better business. It can make people happier, and save energy and dollars. The presence of daylight often shows in increased worker satisfaction and productivity. Better test scores in schools, increased sales in retail settings, and, of course, lower energy bills has also been proven to exist under the presence of daylight.
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