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| CFL General Information |
MenuCFLs--basic information (mercury etc) Other CFL information & projects
CFLs: Easy on the environment and your pocketbook
At the cash register, CFLs may cost more than incandescent bulbs, but over the long run, they’ll save you money. CFLs use 65-75% less energy, and can last up to 10-times longer than incandescent bulbs1. According to the US Department of Energy, for every 75-watt incandescent bulb you replace with a CFL, you can save up to $57 in energy costs over the lifetime of the CFL.2 So, if you replace just six 75-watt incandescent bulbs with CFLs, you could save up to $342 on your electric bill over the life of those bulbs, not to mention preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking one car off the road for over five months!2
According to the US Dept. of Energy,
If every American home replaced their five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR (CFLs, for instance!), we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we'd prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.1
CFLs are a true win-win solution. That is, even if CFLs had had zero environmental impact, they would still be smart choices financially.
To calculate how much money and energy you stand to save by replacing one, five, or all of the incandescent bulbs in your home with CFLs, have fun playing with the CFL energy savings calculator kindly provided by the government’s Energy Star website (you need Excel to access the calculator).
Find out about more win-win solutions that are smart financially and environmentally at our Energy Star and Reusable Grocery Bags pages.
What Green Dubuque is Doing
Visit our current project page to learn about our 2,010 by 2010 program..
More Information on CFLs
Ø Many consumers are concerned about the mercury content of CFLs. Get the facts at our Mercury and CFLs page. Ø Learn which CFLs are right for you and get helpful tips on the best use of CFLs on our CFL tips page. People new to CFLs should definitely give this a quick read. Ø Learn about proper handling, disposal, and cleanup of CFLs at our Recycling, Cleanup, and Safety page, which includes information on the Dubuque Regional Collection Center, where CFLs can be properly recycled (call first at 563-557-1838 to make an appointment).
Other CFL Projects and Informational Sites
Ø Energy Star: Joint project from the EPA and US Department of Energy to encourage energy efficiency in the US. Great source for efficiency tips and product information. Ø CFLbulbs.com: An initiative to persuade people to switch to CFLs. Great source of information, and a great effort. Ø The One Billion Bulbs project: An ambitious national/global effort to persuade millions of people to replace incandescent bulbs with more efficient CFLs
For Businesses:
CFLs can also be a great energy & money saver for businesses. For large businesses, get a quote on bulk quantities of CFLs at http://www.quantityquotes.net/
1) US Dept. of Energy/EPA; http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls 2) Numbers calculated using the EPA’s energy savings calculator for CFLs. Calculations were for six 18-watt CFLs lasting 10,000 apiece hours replacing six 75-watt incandescent bulbs lasting 1,000 hours apiece. |