Follow the (flourescent) light!

For the second month this summer, my electric bill was over $300. Usually when I come home, one of my roommates has left at least one light on, but sometimes they have left almost every light in the house on. One of my roommates likes to leave his bathroom light on even though he's not going to be home for the rest of the night and possibly might not come home for a few days. My boyfriend argues that the lights are not the reason for our large electric bill but I think it has something to do with it. So for my second experiment of living green I went and bought compact florescent light bulbs (CFL's) for the house. Hopefully, the electric bill will go down in. Even if its only a few dollars.

The world needs Compact Fluorescent Lights

Wasting electricity is one of the biggest problems in the world. The carbon dioxide (CO2) that power plants release into the air when supplying electricity is one of the most dangerous gases that is causing climate change (thegreenguide). According to Energy Star, "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars." (www.energystar.gov)

Long Term Investment

CFL's are designed for commonly used rooms like the kitchen and living room. Energy Smart notes that rooms such as the bathroom where lights are turned off and on often reduces the life expectancy of the bulb. I bought different styles of bulbs for my bedroom, hallway, bathroom, kitchen and outside areas. Although they are more expensive to purchase, they last an average of ten times longer than incandescent bulbs. In the long run, you save money.

Companies that sell Compact Florescent Lights:

• Duro-Test Lighting
• General Electric
• Philips

Local Retailers:

• Ace Hardware
• Best Buy
• The Home Depot
• Lowes
• Wal-Mart
• Target

I was really impressed by the Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. In my opinion they are brighter than the Incandescent light bulbs. One difference between the two different bulbs is that Compact Fluorescent Lights take a few seconds to light up. For that brief moment I think that the bulb has burnt out but when it comes on its a reminder that I am saving energy. I will write an update regarding how the CFL affects my electric bill as soon as I can.