Ideal Bite

How many Biters does it take to change a light bulb?

06.26.2006

Submitted by idealbite on Mon, 06/26/2006 - 5:00pm.

The Bite:

Who cares, as long as they’re using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)? Incandescent bulbs might still rule the sockets, but they’re very inefficient. Conserve energy and cash by switching all your bulbs to CFLs - even if the ones you’ve got still work.

The Benefits:

CFLs are more expensive off the shelf, but by replacing a 100-watt bulb with its CFL equivalent, you’ll save $100+ in electricity costs over the lifetime of each bulb.
Conserve major energy. Incandescents are energy black holes - only 10% of the energy they use is converted to light; the rest is turned into heat.
Most lights suck (energy) and then they die. Not CFLs - they’ll last up to 15 times longer than your average incandescent. Meaning you’ll spend less time changing bulbs, and more time counting all the cash you’ve saved.

Personally Speaking:

Heather remembers trying out the early CFLs - which were about as bright as candles - as an undergrad. It wasn’t until Jen brought Heather a couple of Fresh2 bulbs as a housewarming present (not the sassiest of gifts, but...) that she was convinced to replace all 7 lights in her tiny apartment.

Wanna Try:

You won’t need to replace your lamps - CFLs fit into traditional light sockets. They’re also easily found at the supermarket or hardware store.

Fresh2 - no kidding, these bulbs kill odors as they light up ($12).
Kill A Watt - measure the energy your lamps and other appliances are using ($27).
Make the Switch Campaign - we love a good challenge. Environmental Defense is daring us to get all of you Biters to take the CFL pledge.
Earth911 - check to see if your city has recycling facilities for fluorescents (many do), since they contain mercury. Some stores, such as Ikea, will do the dirty work if you bring ‘em in.
Should you replace right away, even if you just installed a new incandescent? Incandescents are cheap, and CFLs save so much energy, we recommend replacing ASAP.