TIPS FOR CHOOSING A BETTER BULB
Those annoying fluorescent lights that buzzed overhead in offices are becoming a thing of the past. Today's energy-saving compact fluorescents (CFs) are cheaper and more attractive than their noisy counterparts, plus they don't burn as hot as traditional incandescent bulbs, which means they can help lower your cooling bills in the summer.
According to Environmental Defense, if every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs, the pollution savings would be like taking 3.5 million cars off the road! If you're ready to make the switch to a better bulb, here are some tips from Environmental Defense:
- Start with one bulb. Before switching all the bulbs in a room, try one to make sure it gives the kind of light you want.
- Know your watts. Compared to incandescent bulbs, energy-saving CFs provide much more light per watt. Look for a CF bulb whose wattage is about one-quarter of the incandescent you're replacing. For example, a CF bulb in the 15-watt range replaces around a 60-watt incandescent.
- Check the shape and size. Both the CF bulb and its ballast (the bulb's "engine" in between
the glass and the screw-in part) can be bigger than standard incandescent bulbs. Inspect
your lamp shade, the harp and the socket to ensure that your lamp can accommodate the
CF bulb.
- Dispose of burned-out bulbs properly. All fluorescent lights contain trace amounts of mercury. But don't worry - there is far less mercury in CFs than in thermometers or old thermostats. Plus, using these bulbs helps prevent mercury from being released into the air from coal-powered power plants. When they burn out years down the road, recycle them.
- Look for Energy Star bulbs. For more information on choosing energy-efficient light bulbs, visit www.EnvironmentalDefense.org.
|
| 