Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Visit
the pages below for all you need to know about CFLs
CFLs: General
Information
CFLs: Easy
on the environment and your pocketbook
What Green Dubuque is doing
More information on CFLs
Other CFL project and informational
websites
Information for businesses
Mercury
and CFLs
CFL
Recycling, Cleanup, and Safety
CFL
tips: Buying and Proper Use
CFLs:
General Information
CFLs:
Easy on the environment and your pocketbook
At the cash
register, CFLs may cost more than incandescent bulbs, but over the long run,
they’ll save you money. CFLs use 65-75% less energy, and can last up to 10-times
longer than incandescent bulbs1.
According to the US Department of Energy, for every 75-watt incandescent
bulb you replace with a CFL, you can save up to $57 in energy costs over the
lifetime of the CFL.2 So,
if you replace just six 75-watt incandescent bulbs with CFLs, you could save up
to $342 on your electric bill over the life of those bulbs, not to mention
preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking one car off the road
for over five months!2
According
to the US Dept. of Energy,
If every American home replaced their five most frequently used light
fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR
(CFLs, for instance!), we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy
costs, and together we'd prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the
emissions from nearly 10 million cars.1
CFLs are a true
win-win solution. That is, even if CFLs had had zero environmental impact, they
would still be smart choices financially.
To calculate how
much money and energy you stand to save by replacing one, five, or all of the
incandescent bulbs in your home with CFLs, have fun playing with the CFL
energy savings calculator kindly provided by the government’s Energy Star
website (you need Excel to access the calculator).
Find out about more
win-win solutions that are smart financially and environmentally at our Energy
Star and Reusable Grocery Bags pages.
What
Green Dubuque is Doing
Visit our current
project page to learn about our 2,010 by 2010 program..
More
Information on CFLs
Ø
Many consumers are concerned about the mercury content of CFLs.
Get the facts at our Mercury and CFLs page.
Ø
Learn which CFLs are right for you and get helpful tips on the
best use of CFLs on our CFL tips page.
People new to CFLs should definitely give this a quick read.
Ø
Learn about proper handling,
disposal, and cleanup of CFLs at our Recycling, Cleanup, and Safety
page, which includes information on the Dubuque Regional Collection Center,
where CFLs can be properly recycled (call first at 563-557-1838 to make an
appointment).
Other
CFL Projects and Informational Sites
Ø
Energy
Star: Joint project from the
EPA and US Department of Energy to encourage energy efficiency in the US. Great source for efficiency tips and product information.
Ø
CFLbulbs.com: An initiative to persuade people to switch to CFLs.
Great source of information, and a great effort.
Ø
The One Billion Bulbs
project: An ambitious
national/global effort to persuade millions of people to replace incandescent
bulbs with more efficient CFLs
For
Businesses:
CFLs can also be a
great energy & money saver for businesses. For
large businesses, get a quote on bulk quantities of CFLs at http://www.quantityquotes.net/
Notes and
Sources:
1)
US Dept. of Energy/EPA;
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls
2)
Numbers calculated using the EPA’s
energy savings calculator for CFLs. Calculations were for six 18-watt CFLs lasting 10,000 apiece
hours replacing six 75-watt incandescent bulbs lasting 1,000 hours apiece.
