Make the Switch to CFL!
Changing to compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) can save money and reduce carbon emissions.
A wide variety of CFLs exist to meet your needs.
They may look funny, but they’re changing the world. Each standard incandescent bulb you replace with a compact florescent light bulb, better known as a CFL, will reduce pollution, save money, and shrink carbon emissions. CFL’s come in all different shapes and sizes and screw in just like regular bulbs. You can find them almost anywhere that light bulbs are sold. Their best feature: they improve on traditional bulbs by producing less heat and using less energy to create the same high-quality light.
Switching from traditional light bulbs to CFL’s is an effective, accessible change everyone can make to reduce energy use at home and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.
If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes; preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars annually. If everyone did this we could keep 30 billion pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere, and save more than 6 billion dollars a year in energy costs. A CFL bulb with an ENERGY STAR label uses one-third the energy of a standard incandescent bulb, lasts up to10 times longer, and saves up to $75 in energy costs over the course of its lifetime.
When that CFL finally burns out, remember to dispose of it properly. Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, you shouldn’t throw them out in your household trash. Contact your city or county solid waste department to find out where to dispose of your burnt out CFL’s.
Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill. Changing to CFL’s costs little upfront and provides a quick return on investment. Perhaps start now by changing your porch lights or the lights in your garage to CFL. Go a step further and change all of your lights to CFL as your standard incandescents burn out. Once you've taken the 18 seconds or so to change the bulb, tell your friends to make the switch, too.
