There is a very simple way to save energy that many people just simply overlook. Changing light bulbs from incandescent bulbs to energy efficient lighting such as compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s) or light emitting diodes (LED’s) can add up to some serious savings.
I based my calculations for this project on the information currently listed on boxes of Sylvania light bulbs. Manufacturers constantly strive to improve energy efficiency in their products, so the energy usage of each bulb may change as new technology becomes available.
An incandescent 60 watt bulb will last 1,000 hours, and cost approximately $7.23 per year to operate 3 hours per day. The CFL equivalent to a 60 watt bulb is 13 watts. It will last approximately 10,000 hours and cost an average of $1.57 per year to operate 3 hours per day. The LED equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb is 9 watts. The bulb will last approximately 15,000 hours and cost an average of $1.02 per year to operate with an average use of 3 hours per day.
Think about how many light bulbs you use in your home per day and do the math. My house for example, has 7 light bulbs in the kitchen, 8 in the master bathroom, 6 in the main bathroom, 4 in the living room, and 4 in each bedroom. I also have 4 outside lights. So, I have 41 light bulbs, all of which are used on a daily basis. Based upon the numbers we’ve already discussed, my annual cost to light my home would be $889.29 with incandescent bulbs, $193.11 with CFL’s, and $125.46 with LED’s.
Many people are reticent to change. However, I think the math speaks for itself. The cost to purchase each bulb is quite comparable. These prices came from the Lowes website due to their large selection of light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs average $1.25 when purchased in a 16 pack, which was the smallest box available at the time of this report. CFL bulbs average $1.66 per bulb when purchased in a 6 pack, and LED bulbs average $1.83 per bulb when purchased in a 6 pack.
My husband and I have switched over to LED’s for our lighting needs. We were using CFL’s for quite a while, but I didn’t like the glow they emitted after the lights were turned off. I have trouble sleeping when the bulbs above my head are glowing eerily at me. The LED’s don’t glow or get overly hot when in use for long periods of time. Both incandescent bulbs and CFL’s get hot enough to burn you.
I hope you have found these seeds of wisdom to be enlightening. You can get Ozarks Maven sent directly to your inbox by entering your email address in the Subscribe box. You can also Like Ozarks Maven on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @OzarksMaven.
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