Lighting accounts for around 5% of household greenhouse gas emissions, and compact fluorscent lights (CFLs) use 75% less energy than an equivalent incandescent bulb.
Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs and save money and reduce emissions at the same time.
Although the bulbs cost more up-front, you will actually save money through the energy saved and extended life of the bulb.
The Sydney Morning Herald has a great chart that compares the two types of bulbs. What’s great about the picture is that it compares the cost of 6 incandescent bulbs with one CFL - which is a much fairer cost comparison as the life of a CFL is much longer.
Incandescents cost more than 6 times what a CFL costs over the life of the globe. And the CO2 emissions are around 6 times higher too.
There are other options than compact fluoros too - LED lighting can be a suitable replacement for halogen down lights, which are also very expensive to run and have short lifespans. Check out Neco’s eco-lighting section for more ideas.
Some other compact fluoro resources that might be handy:
- Environmental Defense’s CFL savings calculator and CFL guide
- Lighter Footstep’s How to live with CFLs
And if you contact these guys they will come round and install CFLs in your home or business, FREE. Tomorrow even! www.easybeinggreen.net
why isn’t easybeinggreen available in Melbourne please come to our state
We at Lighter Footstep will be happy to personally answer any questions people have as they think about switching to CFLs. Check the article referenced above. If there’s something not covered, come to our site:
http://lighterfootstep.com
… and click on the About page to find our contact info. Way to go, Australia! Show everyone how it’s done.
it is such a pity to see caring environmentalists absorbing the spin from the power industries about cfl’s and their benefit to power companies and the subscribers to those power companies– please look at the first section of my latest blog for some sobering information about these so called ‘green’ globes.
http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/341513
Hi whale call - thanks for pointing out the issues with CFLs and mercury. I’ve been meaning to post on this issue for while, and your comment prompted me to do so - details here:
http://futuremakers.com.au/compact-fluoros-and-mercury/
we use energy efficient lights at home… our power bill is wonderful i cant believe how much we’re saving now… and talk about lastability… these lights dont die easily saving you from having to buy replacements all the time!
I’ve had free energy saving light bulbs installed by the Carbon Reduction Institute. These guys did a great job, they were very quick and efficienct and I didn’t pay a thing for my new bulbs. And my power bill has gone down tremendously! I can only recommend having your light bulbs changed; try these guys: www.noco2.com.au
hi leanne have you ever samshed one of those lights?becase if you did you need to clean your house or you will get lead posing.any ways i don’t want use those ligts but i have to soon becase the other kind is beig out lawed.you here that?outlawed they’re not even giving us a choice.if you think you saving the polaer bears your wrong.the polaer bears are over populating!and they don’t need the ice to hunt they can hunt and eat in the water and the ice i’snt even mealtig there is more ice then before.did you read that part?is it gettig though your thick scal?