DIY Cut Monthly Electricity Costs on Lighting
This article is the first of a list of practical things you can do to save lots of money on your monthly electric consumption bills with DIY cut monthly electricity costs. You and your family could enjoy some new green products or even a small vacation.
CFL is what’s called a Compact Fluorescent Lamp or a circular fluorescent bulb. A CFL does not generate light the way incandescent bulbs do.
Since Thomas Edison’s invention of incandescent light bulbs they have pretty much worked the same way. Light is produced after electricity is connected to both sides of the carbon filament causing it to get hot. In CFL bulbs, as with older fluorescent tubes, a closed glass tube is coated with a fluorescent coating that glows when current is applied to the argon and mercury vapour inside.
Although you may have heard how these bulbs work, no matter how cheap they are, if you are turning them on more than about twice a year you are wasting your money. Green products can help you save your money. Compared with an incandescent bulb the newer Energy Star CFL bulbs can save around 75% in costs. In 6 months of usage a CFL will pay for itself saving you about $30 per bulb over its lifespan!
CFLs have been out for several years and as far as the different light omitted they have come a long way. The mood of the rooms in your house, office or any other rooms can be greatly changed. You can choose CFL colors varying from a warm yellow to a daylight blue. If you like the mood that incandescent light bulbs produce then going for a warmer CFL light would suit you better. A good thing to remember is that the bluer light can be quite harsh and have negative effects on light sensitive people.
If you look at the package that the bulb comes in it should have K for Kelvin rating, which gives you the “temperature” of the bulb. A Kelvin rating of 2700K-3000K means it’s a warm/yellow bulb. If you’re looking for a cool white bulb look for a rating of 3500K-4100K. And a 5000K-6500K Kelvin rating would give you that Daylight blue look.
Use 9-13 watt CFL bulbs if you want to replace 40 watt incandescent bulbs. Use a 13-15 watt CFL to replace a 60 watt incandescent. For a 75 watt incandescent use an 18-25 watt CFL. And to replace 100 watt incandescents use 23-30 watt CFLs.
All your used fluoro bulbs should be attempted to be recycled. In some states disposing of mercury filled bulbs with solid waste rubbish is illegal. The reason is there is around 5 milligrams of mercury in one CFL bulb.
Places such as ACE Hardware, Orchard (OSH), IKEA and Home Depot will take your used green CFL products and dispose of them responsibly.
If you are looking for decorative lights, Energy Star qualified light emitting diode bulbs (LED) are a great alternative. These LEDs use up to 90% less energy than the same incandescent bulbs to produce exactly the same amount of light! It has been said that you can power 140 LEDs with the power required to burn one single 7 watt incandescent bulb!
Give the CFLs a try for inside and the LEDs for the outside. The bulbs will help the environment and keep lots of money in your pocket at the same time.
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