Posts Tagged ‘CFLs’

Compare CFLs and Incandescent Light Bulbs using Smart Meters

With the European Commission banning 100-watt incandescent filament bulbs, the phase out over the next three years should see an uptake in more energy efficient light bulbs which will help reduce the carbon footprint of the EU.

Some consumers have been panic buying the standard incandescent bulbs in the fear that new technologies will not be compatible or comparable to the 100-watt bulbs that became the mainstay of lighting for so long. The truth is that energy efficient light bulbs are the way forward, and are not only compatible with virtually every light fitting now, but are far superior bulbs overall.

One of the best ways to monitor the superiority of the new Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) is with smart meters. For those not in the know, smart meters are new innovations that allow customers to effectively monitor their energy consumption in real time. Smart meters replace your normal analogue gas and electricity meters with a digital gauge that can tell you exactly how much electricity you are using at any given time of the day.

Using smart meters you will be able to see just how much of a difference CFLs can make to your energy consumption. CFLs produce much more light than an incandescent bulb for the same amount of power. Light bulbs are graded by watts which can lead to confusion as wattage is a measurement of power used over time. A 100-watt light bulb, for example, does not tell you how bright the light will be but only how much power will be used to light the bulb.

Light output is properly measured in ‘lumen’ or ‘candlepower’ which means a CFL can produce the same lumen for less wattage. A 100-watt incandescent light bulb can easily be replaced with a 20-watt CFL with no adverse effects to the lighting in the room. Similarly a 60-watt incandescent is roughly equivalent in candlepower to a 15-watt CFL.

If you monitor your electricity consumption using  smart meters, you’ll quickly see the difference in measurements by replacing all of your incandescent bulbs. This will also ease the burden on your pocket as CFLs are calculated to save up to £6 per bulb.

Cheap Light Bulbs or CFLs?

So, you’ve not yet made the switch yet to compact fluorescent CFL bulbs in your home yet? Why not? Are you convinced that sticking with cheap light bulbs rather than buying the more expensive ones is a ’savings’? It is in the short term, but over the medium and long haul, using CFLs will save you money.

About 3 years ago I converted half my home’s bulbs over to CFLs. My energy bill did go down a little bit each month because of that – my estimate was that it went down around between $2 and $3 per month. I had fairly predictable bills, and a predictable life routine, so I was pretty confident that this was a moderately accurate assessment. I think I’d switched over 8 or 10 bulbs at that point. Obviously my usage patterns may be different than yours, but even this modest change would mean around $25/year savings. Granted, the higher costs of CFLs meant that I’d paid more than the $25 in initial outlay, but the bulbs have lasted these past three years, and will probably last another year or so. This is much better than buying and replacing cheap light bulbs more than once per year (that was my average before).

CFLs have a couple of downsides. The first is the cost I mentioned earlier – a typical CFL 60 watt bulb might run you $1.50-$2.50 in 4 packs ($6-$8 4 packs are common at my local Target store), whereas a typical incandescent light bulb might only be 60 cents (again, comparing to 4 or 6 pack pricing). Getting over the initial shock of the up front cost, you have to worry about disposal. CFLs contain mercury, and need to be disposed of in a certain manner. Many local municipalities and some big box retailers have CFL recycling programs, but it’s something else you need to consider when considering CFLs.

One last drawback some people pick up on is the light color is different from what we’re used to with traditional incandescents. Early CFL technology may have been described as a bit ‘colder’ then traditional bulbs, but more recent CFL technology is much harder to distinguish from the old-fashioned bulbs. I can’t tell a difference any more, except in my electric bill.

On the up side, because CFLs use less energy (typically only 20-30% as much as regular bulbs), they also emit less heat. This means less cooling in the summer time (although it does mean a bit more work for your heating system in the winter).

Let’s do a quick recap of the pros and cons:

Pros: CFLs have longer life, use far less energy and emit less heat

Cons: Higher initial cost, contain hazardous mercury requiring professional recycling, light color is not as natural to some people.

If you’ve not yet joined the CFL revolution, give it a shot. Try switching just a couple of your standard bulbs over in the next week or so and see if you don’t notice a difference. The only difference you *should* notice is in *your* electric bill.