Efficient Lighting - Sustainable Living Tip for January 2008

When upgrading a friend's house or your own to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting (CFLs), put all of the old-fashioned energy-wasting incandescent bulbs in a box, label it, and store it in the basement, attic, or garage. It's better to replace as many bulbs as possible to start saving money (and the planet) as soon as you can. But don't throw away your old bulbs! Keep a stash of spare bulbs to use in a pinch.

More to know about CFLs

1. Electricity in Maine costs about 15.5 cents per kilowatt hour, well above the national average. To operate a 100 watt incandescent bulb for 10,000 hours costs about $155. To operate the equivalent CFL costs $38.75. The purchase price of a light bulb is a small fraction of the operating cost.
2. To help offset the cost of buying new CFLs, the state of Maine--through select retailers like F.W. Horch--offers a $1.00 per bulb instant rebate to Maine residents.
3. CFLs are about four times more efficient than incandescents. So you can replace a 60 watt incandescent with a 15 watt CFL.
4. All CFLs contain a tiny bit of mercury vapor inside a glass tube. You should NEVER throw away a CFL in your regular trash. Instead, bring them back to F.W. Horch for proper recycling at the end of their useful lives.
5. If you break a CFL, sweep up the bits with two pieces of paper to avoid touching the broken glass. Put everything in a glass jar and seal it. Then dispose of it during one of your town's household hazardous waste disposal days.
6. CFLs can work with dimming and three-way switches, but only if their ballast is rated for those applications. Make sure to ask for dimmable or three-way CFLs if you need them. They are more expensive than CFLs that can't handle being dimmed.
7. The light quality of CFLs varies widely. Shop for CFLs in a store that offers a light bank so you can see the difference before you buy. All CFLs generate ultraviolet (UV) light inside a glass tube. The UV light is absorbed by a phosphor coating and re-emitted as visible light. Different mixes of phosphors produce different kinds of light.
8. Modern CFLs do not hum or flicker. Decades ago, fluorescent lamps used magnetic ballasts to pulse electricity through the mercury vapor inside the glass tube. This resulted in humming and flickering. Modern CFLs use electronic ballasts, which send electricity through the mercury vapor in a way that allows the phosphors to emit a quiet, steady glow.
9. Some CFLs rated "instant on" are better than others. F.W. Horch sells CFLs that really do light up when you flip the switch, without an annoying delay. It's best to shop at a store that lets you test the bulbs before you buy them.
10. CFLs are rated by their start temperature. If the temperature is below their rating, they may fail to light. If you are planning to use CFLs outside during the winter in Maine, make sure they have a low start temperature rating. F.W. Horch sells bulbs that are rated to start at 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
11. CFLs should last several years. Most are rated to provide 10,000 hours of light on average. Write the date of installation on the base with a marker so you can track how long yours are lasting. If you notice that CFLs are failing in certain locations, it is a good idea to have an electrician check the circuit. You may find a problem with your house electrical wiring that could be dangerous. If you know which circuit is which, you can also check the voltage and herz rate with a Kill-A-Watt meter, available at F.W. Horch.