The cost of using old incandescent bulbs to light your home may now outweigh the cost of using the initially more expensive energy-efficient compact fluorescents. Retail stores are offering "compact fluorescent lamps" or CFLs in multiple-unit packs for a fraction of their former price. In July of this year, one national retailer, for example, offered a pack of four 13-watt CFLs -- providing the same illumination as a standard 60-watt bulb – at $7.97 or less than $2 each. Five years ago, a single bulb cost $7.97. According to a Wall Street Journal report earlier this year, the Energy Federation, a not-for-profit company that distributes energy-efficient products, said the average price of a CFL is around $3, down from $9 in 2000 and $20 in 1990. The compact fluorescent lamps no longer come in only twisted, funny-looking shapes. You can get them in a variety of shapes that will fit in bathroom light fixtures, in recessed ceiling cams, and in some track lights. Not yet available are halogen light equivalents where you need high-powered spots. GE and the two other big light bulb makers, Philips and Osram Sylvania, also are looking at light emitting diodes, or "LEDs," as new sources of residential lighting. Compact fluorescent lamps can be cheaper than traditional bulbs when the CFLs' longer lives and low energy consumption are factored in. CFLs last, on average, eight times as long as incandescent bulbs, according to a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. This is good because one downside of using the CFL’s is the environmental hazard they pose at disposal because of the small amount of mercury that each bulb contains (about 4 milligrams) – always recycle them at a hazardous waste depot! Huge savings on energy costs result from use of compact fluorescent lamps in a home. Replacing one 60-watt incandescent with a 13-watt CFL might save you about $30 in energy costs over the life of the CFL, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Imagine the savings from replacing every bulb in your home! I admit that I’ve only made it to about 50% of the bulbs in my home, but I’ve already noticed a difference in my electric bill. Some people are concerned about the light quality with the fluorescents. They are not like the old-time flickering fluorescents. Some installations do take a few seconds to get to full power, and that does take some getting used to. Personally, I found that I adjusted to the slow rising brightness in about a week. You have a choice, start saving now, or wait for the 100-year old technology represented by incandescent bulbs to be withdrawn from the market in a few years. |
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