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Environmental
Impact
If
every household
in the United States replaced just one incandescent light
bulb with an Energy Star® qualified compact fluorescent light bulb
(CFL), it would
remove enough pollution from the air to equal removing one million
cars from the road.1
Long Term Savings
The price of CFLs has
dropped significantly in the
last few years. While a traditional incandescent light bulb may cost
about $1.00 each, CFLs sell for between $5.00 and $10.00.
Energy-efficient bulbs may
cost you more initially, but they save you money in the long run by
using one-third of the energy required by a conventional light bulb to
produce the same amount of light.
CFLs use 66 percent less
energy than a standard, incandescent light bulb and last up to ten
times longer. A typical 100 watt
incandescent bulb produces 1,600 lumens (measure of light output)
and burns around 1,000 hours. A 27 watt CFL produces
1,750 lumens and burns an average of 10,000 hours.
CFLs
are Cooler
Incandescent bulbs
put out a lot of heat ? typical surface temperatures can range from 150
to more than 250 degrees.
The
heat introduced into your home by a regular light bulb causes your air
conditioner to run longer. CFLs operate at only about 100
degrees, reducing the demand for air conditioning in the summer and
providing a certain amount of safety from hot light bulbs.
The
benefits of compact
fluorescent bulbs are clear: lower operating costs, longer operating
life and more efficient use of energy.2
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