Mar 27 2007
Hamlin House Goes Green
We’ve installed a bunch of Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs).
All told, this process has taken about a month, and much has been learned about these eco-friendly illuminators. First, it’s true that light bulbs are the top user of electricity in the US, and therefore contribute the most to pollution and climate change. It’s also true that CFL bulbs use far less power than traditional halogens and incandescents, they will save you money over the long haul, reduce your carbon impact, and the light quality itself is good.
Environmental Defense provides a calculator to help determine how much money you will save by replacing standard bulbs with CFLs, and how much CO2 you can keep from entering the air. By replacing twenty 60W bulbs in our home, and eight 75W floods, we will save $1,120 over the life of our bulbs, and prevent 5,287 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the air. Just think of the change we could make if everyone did that.
There are some drawbacks. Whether you’re using the 60W soft-serve-looking swirly bulbs in a lamp, or larger reflectors and floods overhead, CFLs take some time to warm up. With the smaller bulbs, expect about thirty seconds to reach full capacity. With the floods, it can be over twice that long. Light comes on when you hit the switch, but it’s not full blast immediately. It’s nice in the middle of the night or in the early morning, because it eases you into a lighted situation from a dark one, but sometimes it can be a slight annoyance in the kitchen.
There are dimmable CFLs. We tested a few in our living room and basement TV room, but found them to be incapable of producing the warmer, moody light we like in those environments. They also have a much smaller dimming range. Consequently, we had to go without CFLs in two of our most oft-used rooms. Hopefully they will improve soon and we can make the switch.
CFLs are best used in lamps, outdoor fixtures, bathrooms, and non-dimmable overheads (i.e. in the kitchen) that spend a lot of time in the “on” position. You’ll see greater energy savings, and will experience less “warm-up” annoyance in these locations. Places like closets and attics, where the use is minimal, don’t warrant the slightly higher expense of CFLs, which are rated to last up to 9 years at 3-hours of usage per day.
Home Depot sells a variety of CFLs at prices competitive with internet outlets. Weems Creek Solutions has great service, fast shipping, and decent bulk deals on a variety of bulb types made by a smaller manufacturer, Greenlite, including those hard-to-find dimmables and outdoor flood lamps.
www.LampRecycle.org has info on how to dispose of your old bulbs. Eartheasy is a great resource about CFLs. Energy Star offers a ton of other energy saving ideas. Make the switch for your pocketbook, and help the planet in the process.
Saving energy doesn’t end at home, either! I just convinced the “banker’s pen” types at my stodgy old office to convert because it saves money!
You’re right — I’ve been working with our Facilities Manager too to get some more eco-friendly programs going at Move…..we’re already recycling (paper, cans, cartridges and water for the landscaping), we turn off our heaters and AC on the weekends and we have automatic water and light shut-off valves in our entire building.