Jun 14

One great way to reduce your household energy consumption is to switch to Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFL for short). They are basically the same as the “tube” style florescent light bulbs, just reduced down to fit in most places where incandescent bulbs are used.

Benefits:

  • CFLs use 70% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
  • CFLs last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
  • They also produce much less heat, which definitely helps if you are sitting or working near one.

Drawbacks:

  • Most do not work with dimmer switches.
  • They aren’t good for ceiling fans, or applications where they might experience vibration.
  • Light isn’t always as appealing as incandescent bulbs.
  • Contain small amount of mercury, so it’s important to recycle them when done.

All in all, I would highly recommend trying out at least one Compact Fluorescent in your home or business. The prices keep dropping and they are pretty easy to find at your local store. If everyone would switch just one incandescent to a CF light bulb, we could dramatically reduce our energy consumption and save money in the process.