Another no-brainer? You’d think so. But you’d be amazed at the number of my frugal friends who scoff at the price of compact fluorescent bulbs. And while I scoffed a bit too, at first, I have since changed my frugal mind. While regular 60 Watt bulbs may only be 2 for $1, I have to buy them at almost every trip to the store. Meanwhile, my CFBs just keep on going. The light they throw does take a little getting used to, but there are bulbs now that have covers on them so they diffuse the light in a more incandescent way.
I also didn’t replace all of my bulbs at one time. In fact, not all of them are replaced yet (we have a lot of bulbs). Instead, every couple of months, I purchase a 4-pack of CFBs and replace any bulbs that have burnt out. This way, I don’t feel guilty throwing out a perfectly good regular light bulb.
Has my electric bill really gone down? Well, I won’t lie to you. It’s gone down a little. Really, until I get my electric hot water heater replaced, I don’t expect to see huge savings in my electric bill. However, it has gone down a bit and combined with hanging clothes outside, I’ve seen quite a bit of savings. Combined with the savings of not having to buy regular light bulbs over and over and I’m pleased with the results so far. In addition, I have a lot of overhead “globe” style lights in my house, so not having to change those bulbs every couple of months is worth its weight in gold to me! Although I will have to remember to dust more…
For the stats on changing your light bulbs check out:
or http://www.thegreenguide.com
Leah Ingram says:
It is my plan to eventually change all of our incandescent lightbulbs with the compact fluorescent kinds. However, I’d heard that you can’t just throw these lightbulbs out but need to recycle them in special places. Have you figured that out yet? If so, I’d love to hear about it. In the meantime, here is a posting from my blog on a lightbulb-related topic:
http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com/2007/07/lightbulb-moment.html
Thanks. Great blog.
Leah Ingram http://suddenlyfrugal.blogspot.com
1st August 2007 at 6:17 pm
Marie says:
I liked the idea of the compact fluorescent bulbs until I found the mercury content in them, and the hazardous waste precautions you have to take if they break or smoke and when you throw them away. (If the bulb breaks you are supposed to follow the EPA recommendation for the neurotoxin’s disposal. Open the windows and leave the room for 15 minutes,wear disposable gloves and scoop up the debris, then clean with a wet paper towel double bag it etc. There was an article in consumers reports about it October 2007. They recommended them to save energy; but I don’t want any more mercury in the environment or my home. I have enough problems with environmental illness and allergies. We’ve gone to all natural and green solutions for building products, paints cleaners etc. Thought you might want to know.
1st August 2007 at 6:04 pm