One Billon Bulbs
I’ve written before about what a good idea I think it is to wean ourselves off of non-renewable energy sources. Petroleum – oil – is a special problem not only because it’s non-renewable but also because it has geopolitical value far beyond its actual worth. We’re not going to become oil independent anytime soon because way too much of what we use in this country depends on oil.
But we can take small steps to use a little less in our every day lives.
One of the easier ways we can do that is my switching from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.
I changed a bunch of bulbs where I live a couple of months ago and I’ve not noticed any real difference in the quality of light they give. I have noticed that my electric bill is a little bit lower (mostly because I don’t use a lot of light bulbs) and I’m happy tht I’m not going to have to change these bulbs for four or five years.
So I recommend that all of you give them a try, too. They’re easy to use, good for the environment, good for our pocketbook, and you won’t need to change them much. What’s not to like?
There’s a group I’m recommending also that’s tracking how many compact fluorescent bulbs we’re using. It’s called OneBillionBulbs and it’s making a good start toward a real energy-savings program that regular ordinary folks like us can adopt. The goal here is not only to help our environment, which is important in itself, but also to save energy and us some cash.
You do like having more money, right? Yep, I thought so.
So, okay. I started a little group of my own, right here. If you’ve switched over to compact fluorescents at all, join my group and record your purchase. I’d like to have a hundred bulbs by the end of May and, by the end of the summer, I’d like to see 500 bulbs changed.
It’s a small goal, but I have a small blog. It fits.
Here’s how we’re doing so far. Hit the link, read up on OneBillionBulbs, and change a few.
Now you may be a little resistant. I know I was at first. So here’s what I’ll ask.
Change one bulb. Just one.
Live with it for a month and, if you don’t like it, change it back.
But if you do like it, and I think you will, change more. Change them all.
It’s a good thing to do.
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We own a lightbulb store. If there are any questions you may have concerning compact fluorescents – what's good about them, what they won't do, what's bac about them (mercury) – please feel free to ask…you have my email address.
California wants to prohibit all incandescents by 2012 – truly a bizarre demand. Replacing many or even most household bulbs with compact fluorescents is a good and practical goal, but there are many specific lighting jobs that CFs simply cannot do.
LEDs are coming along, but they're not practical yet – both from the aspect of applicability and cost.
suek – I'd love your input on CF bulbs. I know what I use, but they may not be what everyone else will need.
Basically, I use them in the lighting fixtures of ceiling fans, table lamps, the overhead fixtures in places like the kitchen and bathroom, and on the vanity mirror in the bathroom, too. I've gotten really good results in those places. I know that using them outside is still a bit of a dodgy proposition as well as in places that get really chilly.
I'm not so concerned about the mercury problem at this point. From what I understand, and I welcome your correction, the amount of mercury in the average CFB is pretty small. Since these bulbs last an awfully long time, we're not going to be throwing a lot of them away, compared to how many incandescents we throw away (10 to 12 to one, or more, based on average life of the bulb).
I'd say that if we started voluntarily changing over, we're not going to run into a mercury apocalypse anytime very soon. By then, we'll know there's a potential problem coming, and will have done some brainstorming to fix it, especially since we're already talking about it.