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Cleaning Up:  Energy-Saving tips  |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 24 2007 : 5:38:47 PM
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Our energy engineer at work shared the following information with us today:
Energy challenge quiz question for the day.
A compact fluorescent light (CFL):
A. Costs twice as much, but lasts twice as long as a standard light bulb.
B. Costs more to buy, uses 1/3 the energy and lasts 10 times as long as a standard light bulb.
C. Is small enough to use in a flashlight and lasts 12 times as long as a standard light bulb.
D. Costs more, use less power and lasts 20 times longer than a standard light bulb.
Look for the answer is at the end of this letter.
Is it better to turn a light off or leave it on?
The question of "Is it better turn them off or let them burn" is often asked. The answer is, "if you are not using them, turn them off." Lights only use electricity when they are on.
Some folks believe that it takes more power to turn a fluorescent lamp on than to leave it on. Modern fluorescent lamps use very little starting energy. Turning them off actually helps them last longer and saves energy.
A fluorescent lamp’s "starting surge" lasts only 1/120 of a second. Turning the lights off for one second saves the energy required to turn them back on.
A standard fluorescent lamp can shine for 34,000 hours if left on 24 hours a day. This equals about 4 years of round-the-clock use. Turning the lamp off for 12 hours a day increases the overall life of the lamp to about 8 years. Turning lights off reduces lamp maintenance cost and reduces electric bills.
For example turning off a one-tube light for half an hour a day can save about $3 in energy over the life of the lamp. The money saved by this is typically more than the price of a new lamp. In short, you should turn off lights in your office, workstation or team room when you leave, even if it is for just a few minutes.
Getting in the habit of switching lights off at home will reduce your electric bill too.
The correct answer to the energy challenge quiz is B
CFL’s cost less to use, last 10 times longer and “burn cooler.” That means they save you money and reduce your air conditioning load in the summer. According to the Alliance to Save Energy if every U.S. household replaced just one traditional light bulb with a CFL bulb it would save $600 million in utility bills. (I fooled them I changed five in my house already.)
That would also result in a massive reduction in the number of lumps of coal that are burned to make electricity. Burning less coal would reduce the tons of pollutants and green house gas emissions going into the air.
Changing light bulbs inside the house is a winter project that even I can handle.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
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Chix-N-Dirt
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
South Eastern
Kentucky
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2007 : 04:35:53 AM
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| Mythbusters did a show on whether or not it was better to leave a light on or turn it off when you leave the room. They tested several different kinds of bulbs to see how energy use and bulb life were effected. Their conclusion was that it is better to turn off any kind of light if you are not going to use it for, I think, about 30 SECONDS. Eye opening show and my family saw it too so now they have no argument when they hear "Please turn that light off!!!". |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2007 : 06:14:13 AM
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Thanks, Brenda. I've been thinking about switching over for a while now, and this is going to be the year to do it.
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2007 : 07:08:11 AM
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We have been doing this whenever a bulb burns out. We have replaced almost all but a few and I am noticing a difference on my electric bill. (HA! Take that PSE & G!) My problem is that not all of my antique lamps (new wiring) that have chimneys will take even the smallest of these bulbs! Also, they do not seem to last as long as stated in outdoor fixtures that are enclosed (post light, lanterns at door).
Write the date you put the bulb in w/ permanent marker around the base and you can see how long they actually last. We have had a few now going on 3 years.
Thanks for the info Brenda, a very good subject!
with a happy heart |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2007 : 08:19:11 AM
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Most brands of these new bulbs come with a warrenty. we had one bulb burn out with in a week of buying (probably a manufacturing defect) and we called the number on the back of the box. We had to leave a message with our phone number but they called us back and shipped us a WHOLE BOX of the bulbs because 1 (out of 9) had burned out!!!!!! That gave us enough to change all the lights in our house!
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowtreecreek.com |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2007 : 10:40:43 AM
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Julie- I should have said that part. We had good luck getting them replaced too, I was just surprised that (3) all went within a few days time but they were all from the same purchase. So, definitely worth the $$$ even if there is a problem.
with a happy heart |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2007 : 4:11:07 PM
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I bought some CFL bulbs about 8 years ago for a school fundraiser. They are all still working-not one has burnt out (well, except one that got wacked by a 2x4, so that doesn't count  ). Because they lasted so long, we replaced every bulb in the house as they burned out.
Jennifer |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4737 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4737 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2007 : 5:29:24 PM
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Thanks for the information Brenda & farmgirls. Our electric company,ComEd here in IL has raised its rates a whopping 24%! They plan to increase the rates another 6% in the next few years! I wish my husband would get a 30% pay raise! We're doing everything we can to save on our utility bills. Keep the information coming!
Dawn in IL |
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laluna
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
New York
USA
295 Posts |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2007 : 10:11:03 AM
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We're fighting an electric company that wants to run a huge, ugly, farm-eating power line straight through some of the most beautiful countryside in the U.S. They keep buying full-page ads in the papers trying to scare us into believing that if they don't get their way, there will be "rolling blackouts" all over the state in several years (like the ones they infamously staged in California a few years ago). One of the things we're doing to prove there's an alternative to this is we're all switching to CFL bulbs wherever we can. (The PR gal still left inside me thinks it would be great fun to turn all the replaced regular light bulbs over to the company at a giant media event. But I digress.) So far, I've replaced all my regular light bulbs with CFLs I got on sale. The thing that bugged me, though, was they were packaged in those hard clamshell plastic things. Imagine putting such an environmentally friendly product in such an environmentally hostile package? <face palm>
Someday if you're in one of those junk shops that has bins of retro magazine ads, take a look at ads for automobiles and trucks from the mid 1970s and on through the mid-80s or so. Many of them make a point of the gas mileage buyers could expect. I've seen ads for Chevy pickups that claimed 30 mpg or more -- and I remember that as actually true back then -- even WITH catalytic converters and other do-dads that the auto industry claims make it impossible to offer higher-efficiency vehicles today. Why the heck are we settling for less now, when our need for fuel conservation is more critical than ever? I promise not to get too politcal here, but I'm sure most of us know the answer to that. If you ever see one of those ads, why not buy it (they're only a few bucks) and make copies to send them to your elected officials with a letter asking them to consider sponsoring legislation that would get us back to where we were before we got so far off track? |
Edited by - Rosemary on Jan 27 2007 1:47:28 PM |
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Cleaning Up: Energy-Saving tips |
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Energy-Saving tips
