CFL’s—The New Lighting Option
Do you ever wonder what it costs to keep the lights on in your house? Lighting is the most visible energy use in most homes, consuming around 6% of the total energy that you use. Even though this seems minor compared to other energy uses around your home, there can be significant savings achieved with efficiency and different light bulbs. Twin Valleys Public Power District wants you to understand the energy savings you can accomplish with your lighting.
Out With The Old
The standard incandescent bulb we are used to using has been around for over 100 years and utilizes a very primitive method for providing light. Light is produced when electricity passes through the metal filaments, heating them up till they glow. 90% of the electricity used produces excess heat while only 10% of the energy produces light. The heat that is produced is a very expensive form of heat during the winter months and adds heat to your home in the summer months, adding to your cooling costs.
Another problem with incandescent bulbs is they don’t last very long, which means you have to change them on a regular basis.
There are energy efficient incandescent bulbs available that will use 5 to 13% less energy than the standard ones. They may cost you a little bit more but you will more than make up the difference in energy savings.
In With The New
Fluorescent bulbs have been around for a long time and we knew they were more efficient to use, but we normally have seen them in straight lengths up to 8 foot long. One of the newer innovations in lighting options, the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), gives you the chance to save a considerable amount of energy and money, and still give you the light you need to read and see by.
Although most CFL’s look different than incandescent bulbs, they come with the same screw-in style base so they can be interchanged very easily. There are many different sizes and shapes available now so they can be used in almost any style of light fixture.
Compact fluorescent lamps will give you savings in different ways. They last longer and use less energy, more than offsetting the additional cost of them. The usual payback time is 1 to 1 ½ years for one CFL compared to continued use of incandescent bulbs in the same fixture.
Pay Now, Or Pay Later
Here are some of the reasons that CFL’s are saving millions of people energy use and money.
- CFL’s last approximately 10,000 hours, which is 10-13 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs, whose life expectancy is around 750 hours.
- CFL’s are four times more energy efficient that an incandescent bulb, which uses 90% of the energy to produce heat rather than light. There is considerably less heat from a CFL.
- CFL’s use 70-75% less energy than their incandescent equivalents. You can replace a 100 watt incandescent bulb with a 28 watt CFL.
The illustration below will show you the cost savings you can expect by using a compact fluorescent lamp rather than an incandescent bulb.
75 watt incandescent bulb 20 watt compact fluorescent lamp
Total cost: $56.23 Total Cost: $20.26
The total cost includes the purchase of the lamps and the energy costs to run them for 10,000 hours. The price for the CFL was $7.00 and an incandescent bulb was $0.50. You would have to purchase 13 bulbs to match the 10,000 hours life expectancy of the CFL. The electricity cost is $0.0663/ kWH.
If you used the CFL in the above example for 4 hours a day the expected life span of that lamp would be 7 years, with a payback of 1.09 years when compared to using incandescent bulbs.
Your savings would include: $5.21 per year in energy costs, which is a savings of 73%.
This would give you a savings of $36.47 in energy costs over the seven years. Now multiply that figure by the number of light bulbs you could replace and you get an idea of how much money you could save.
Other Savings Tips
- Use dimmers whenever possible. When purchasing a CFL, check the package and make sure it will work with a dimmer.
- Turn off any light that is not being used, especially when you leave a room.
- For the best efficiency and performance, buy new fixtures that are designed specifically for CFL’s.
- Use lower wattage bulbs where you don’t need as much light, such as a hallway, etc.
- Look to lumens, not watts, for light output. When selecting energy-efficient light bulbs match the lumens as a guide to purchasing the right bulb.
For more information on CFL Pros & Cons click here.
Compact fluorescent lamps are now widely available wherever light bulbs are sold, so take a moment next time you are needing light bulbs and check out the CFL’s on the shelves. Twin Valleys Public Power District strongly recommends the use of CFL’s. Their use will provide you with energy savings and more money in your pocket.
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1145 Nasby St. 308-697-3315
PO Box 160 800-658-4266
Cambridge, NE 69022 308-697-4877 fax
www.twinvalleysppd.com
