CFLs have become increasingly popular in the last few years. Their light output to energy usage ratio is very high compared to their wasteful incandescent counterpart. Most people are willing to spend the few extra bucks on these bulbs just for their lifespan alone. This article is a guide to understanding CFLs and why you should use them in your home to save energy.

 

What are CFLs and how do they work?

 

A CFL uses a gas filled tube to excite mercury vapour and releases short wave light. An electromagnetic or electronic ballast is attached to the tube to regulate the amount of electrical current flowing through the device. Old CFLs used electromagnetic ballast, but new CFL use electronic ballast exclusively. The switch to electronic ballasts in the last 10 years has been the main reason for the reduction in cost of CFLs. Without getting into too many technical details, we know that a CFL is a relatively complex device compared to an incandescent lamp (which is simply just a tungsten wire that gets heated by electric current). CFLs are capable of running on AC and DC power systems, which make them ideal for ‘off-the-grid’ and remote applications.

 

Energy Savings

 

The Mercury gas filled tube emits light energy at a very specific visible light frequency (usually described on the packaging). Since it only emits energy in the visible light spectrum, energy is not wasted on frequencies that the human eye cannot see. This is the case with incandescent bulbs, where most of the radiated energy is lost in the form of heat. So by only emitting useful energy (visible light), the CFLs are able to greatly reduce the amount of power used from the utilities.

 

A 15W CFL will emit the same amount of visible light as a 60W Incandescent bulb. This means that you will be using approximately a quarter of the energy for the same amount of light! This is a massive energy saving and can save you hundreds of dollars each month.

For example. If you have a family house which uses 8, 60W light bulbs. Now let’s say on average those lights are on 40% of the time. If you are paying 12cents / KWh (The US average electricity cost). Then you will pay $142 a month just for your lights using incandescent bulbs. This is cut down to $35 a month by making the switch to 15W CFls. That’s a $107 dollar saving on a typical US household.

 

Lifespan

 

Since CFLs do not produce excess heat like incandescent bulbs, they take a very long time to burn up and die. They will last approximately 10 times longer with a lifespan of about 10 000 hours.

 

Disposal and Safety

 

There are some safety concerns associated with CFLs, but if handled correctly they will present no risk to you or your family. Since CFLs contain mercury vapour, it is very important that you do not shatter the bulbs or throw them in the trash. When a CFL stops working set it aside until you accumulate several of them. Then bring them down to a local waste disposal station. They will have a program in place to safely recycle the CFLs and most the time this service is completely free.

 

There is no doubt that CFLs will be replacing all incandescent bulbs in the near future. Many countries have already made them a mandatory household requirement. If you are looking to save energy at home this is a great step that requires very little effort. So get rid of those old incandescent bulbs and go out and get some CFLs. The extra amount you spend on these lamps will save you hundreds of dollars, and will help save our planet.

 

 

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