Energy Efficiency - Information, Calculators, and Recommendations

An Efficient Alternative To The Incandescent Lamp

The old adage “you can pay now or you will really pay later” is true when it comes to lighting. Incandescent lamps have dominated the residential lighting market for years and still do today. Why? Because they are cheaper to purchase and until a few years ago provided an unmatched quality of light.

Advances in lighting technology with the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) have provided more efficient alternative to the incandescent lamp. After reviewing the following information you will be able to determine if CFL’s are for you!

Home Lighting Facts

• CFL’s use 70 – 75% less energy than their incandescent equivalents. When replacing a 100 watt incandescent lamp a 28 watt CFL is used.
• CFL’s last approximately 7,000 – 15,000 hours, or up to 10 times the life of an incandescent lamp (expected life approximately 750 hours).
• CFL’s are most cost-effective when used at least 2 – 3 hours per day.
• Although CFL’s may appear different than the common incandescent, they fit most standard fixtures. The screw-in base is the same on both lamps.
• CFL’s are four times more efficient, than the typical incandescent lamp, which uses 90% of the energy to produce heat rather than light.
• The latest CFL’s have improved color rendition. The light is a warm tone that is almost identical to that of an incandescent lamp. Most people can’t tell the
  difference.
• The following illustration demonstrates the cost of using a CFL versus an equivalent incandescent lamp for 10,000 hours.
  

Note: The price for the CFL is $7.00 with an expected life of 10,000 hours. An incandescent lamp is $.50 with an expected life of 750 hours. Electricity charge = 9.25 KWH.

If you operated the CFL in the above scenario for 4 hours a day the expected life of that lamp is 7 years, with a pay-back of 1.08 years when compared to an incandescent lamp.

Lighting cost can account for significant portion of your electrical usage. If your intent is to become more efficient and lower your electric bill, install CFL’s. The savings to you are great with little if any inconvenience.