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Providing
Powerful Solutions for Changing Times
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Make
your home—not your wallet—lighter Try
lighting your home differently and you might find your wallet a little heavier. Compact
fluorescent light bulbs—the twisty ones that last up to five years—use about
two-thirds less energy than incandescents. That energy savings translates into
lower energy bills.
You can save $30 over the lifetime of each CFL you use in place of a
traditional incandescent bulb. CFLs last for 6,000 or more hours before they
burn out.
As a bonus, a CFL doesn’t put off much heat when it burns, unlike the
incandescent light bulbs you’re probably using now. The result: The CFL
doesn’t add heat to the air in a room that you’re trying to cool when it’s
hot outside. Less added heat means your air conditioner doesn’t have to work
so hard. That can save you even more.
The latest CFLs are much improved from those slow-to-turn-on, pale-white
bulbs of the past. If you tried CFLs a long time ago and didn’t like the color
or the delay, try them again. The light and performance of the latest CFLs is
much closer to what you’re used to.
It’s true that CFLs cost more than incandescents—from around $3 to
$15 per bulb compared with less than $1 per incandescent bulb. But you’ll more
than make up the difference by paying lower electric bills. |
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