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February 18, 2008

New bulbs reduce lighting costs

By AMY IVY

Lighting amounts to about 8 percent of the total energy bill for the average house in New York state. Luckily, there have been some great improvements in lighting technology recently.

REPLACE YOUR BULBS

Did you know the average house has 50 light bulbs? And that 90 percent of the energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb is lost as heat? Only 10 percent goes to produce light.

The newer, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's) use 75-percent-less energy than incandescents and last eight-to-10 years or longer. They used to cost quite a bit more than incandescents, but their price has dropped considerably to just a few dollars per bulb, depending on its size. A lot of local stores have had these bulbs on sale, so now is a good time to make the switch.

CFLs are larger than regular bulbs, so they may not fit in all your light fixtures. But if you could replace even half your bulbs, you'd be making a big difference in your lighting bill. They typically come in a spiral shape, but many new types are being developed now, so you'll see them in a variety of shapes and sizes. The new "mini" sizes fit in more fixtures than before.

If you tried these CFLs when they first came out several years ago, you may have been disappointed. The first models often flickered, were very slow to light up and gave less light. Try the newer types, and I think you'll be pleased.

Replacing your regular bulbs with the newer versions will save you about $70 over the life of each bulb. And since they last so much longer, you'll need to replace them much-less often. This is especially nice for bulbs in hard-to-reach locations.

READ THE LABEL

CFLs are made for all kinds of uses now. You may have to hunt a little, but they are available for recessed ceiling lights, for the light-up candles people like to put in their windows at the holidays, and they even make dimmable CFLs. Not all are dimmable, so make sure your package specifies that it is. Three-way CFL bulbs are also available.

Also check the package carefully to be sure you're getting the brightness you want. It will list the actual wattage used by the bulb as well as the equivalent wattage you're used to. For example, a package I'm looking at right now says, "soft white 60," at the top. Next to this heading is a small picture of two bulbs; the CFL bulb says, "15w," and the conventional bulb says, "60w." This means that this bulb uses 15 watts but has the brightness of a 60-watt conventional, incandescent bulb.

At the bottom of the package it says, "light output: 950 lumens, energy used: 15 watts, life: 8000 hours." The incandescent package says each bulb life is 1,000 hours.

So which would you choose: the incandescent bulb that uses 60 watts and lasts 1,000 hours or the equally bright CFL bulb that uses just 15 watts and lasts 8,000 hours?

MERCURY

One drawback to using CFLs is they do contain a small amount of mercury, as do all fluorescent light bulbs that are so commonly used in ceiling fixtures in hospitals, schools, offices, etc.

Mark Pierce, extension associate at Cornell University makes the following points:

All fluorescent lights, including CFLs, contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. Mercury is an essential, irreplaceable element in CFLs and is what allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. A CFL contains about 5 milligrams of mercury. That is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. By comparison, older home thermometers contain 500 milligrams of mercury and many heating-system thermostats contain up to 3,000 milligrams. It would take between 100 and 600 CFLs to equal those amounts.

Consider your options. Incandescent lighting uses 75-percent-more electricity than CFLs, and that electricity often comes from coal-fired electric plants. These plants produce tremendous amounts of carbon emissions and are also responsible for spewing tons of mercury into our waterways and on our soil each year.

So switching from incandescent lighting to fluorescent light will actually result in less mercury in our environment.

CAREFUL CLEANUP

CFLs are safe to use in your home. No mercury is released when the bulbs are in use, and they pose no danger to you or your family when used properly. However, CFLs are made of glass tubing and can break if dropped. Even if you do break a CFL, Pierce said, research has shown that there is no health risk to you and your family if you clean up properly.

Follow these steps for proper cleanup:

Sweep up all glass fragments and particles. Don't use a vacuum.

Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up any small shards of glass or fine particles. Sticky-sided tape, duct tape, for example, can be used to pick up very small pieces of glass on carpet.

Place broken pieces, paper towel and tape in a sealed plastic bag and take to a household-hazardous-waste collection facility.

It is best not to throw burned-out or broken CFLs into your household garbage. The mercury contained in these bulbs can be recycled and reused. Take burned-out or broken CFLs to a household-hazardous-waste collection facility or event in your community. To see a list of all such programs in New York State go to: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dshm/redrecy/hhwsum.htm.

For more information about ways to save energy, as well as programs that might help you with energy saving costs call 1-877-NY-SMART or visit the Web site: www.Get

EnergySmart.org.

Amy Ivy is executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Clinton County. Office phone numbers: Clinton County 561-7450, Essex County 962-4810, Franklin County 483-7403. Web site: http://www.cce.cornell.edu/ecgardening. E-mail questions to askMG@cornell.edu

ENERGY TOWN MEETING
The Cornell Cooperative Extension offices in Plattsburgh and Malone are hosting a video conference called "Energy Efficient Lighting: A Manufacturer's Perspective" on Tuesday, Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Discussed will be emerging technologies in energy efficient lighting for residential and commercial buildings, including the manufacturing process for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), the effect the new GU24 pin-based CFL will have on the ENERGY STAR residential lighting-fixture market, and why the emerging Solid State Lighting (SSL) technology will be commonplace in homes within a few years. The program is free and open to the public; to register contact Cornell Cooperative Extension in Plattsburgh at 561-7450 or in Malone at 483-7403.

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