Flourescent Lamps – Get Some Today!

Now that a lot of us have turned on the air conditioners, it’s a good time to start thinking about how to save on our energy bills. I know I wrote about this earlier, but I thought it was worth touching on the subject again. I’m talking about changing out our incandescent bulbs with fluorescent. Fluorescent have changed a lot through the years, so you don’t have to be afraid that they’ll blink, buzz, or make you look green. But why is this a good idea?

Fluorescent require far less energy to burn, so you’ll save a lot on the cost of lighting your home. For example, one 60 watt incandescent bulb, burning for 5 hours a day will cost you $34.14 per year. A similar fluorescent, burning for those same 5 hours will cost only $7.14 per year. Multiply this by all the light you use and you can see how the savings quickly add up. In fact, just go here to find a nifty calculator that will figure it all out for you. It will also tell you what wattage you need to switch the incandescent to fluorescent.

Another reason to switch is that the bulbs last many times longer than incandescent. So you don’t need to replace them as often. Think about lamps that are a pain to deal with and high ceilings that are hard to reach. Fluorescent save on time, too.

There are some issues. First, fluorescent bulbs cost a lot more than incandescents. But you’ll save so much in energy that in the long run that they wind up paying for themselves many times over. Another issue is the mercury content. Mercury is used in all fluorescent, so it’s a good idea to recycle them instead of tossing them into the waste bin. Many home stores, like Home Depot now offer recycling. So again, it’s a problem that’s already solved.

The only other thing to know is that the hotter the bulb burns, the bluer the light will be. The new fluorescent easily mimic the soft, warm light of incandescents. For an incandescent glow, choose a fluorescent with “2,700K” (or sometimes 27K) on the label. For the look of a halogen, choose 3,000K (or 30K). Many manufacturers now have an energy star label on them. This lets you know that they’re good for home use.

So now you know! If you’ve got an IKEA near you, they sell fluorescent at a great price.

And now for a bit of lighting trivia. Did you know that the real term for a light bulb is a lamp? The problem is that no one outside the lighting world actually uses this term. But now you know something the rest of the world doesn’t. So with this fun fact, you’ll be the shining light at your Memorial Day party this weekend!