Probably the biggest user of electricity in your house is your refrigerator because it runs almost all the time.  But close behind are all the light bulbs both inside and outside your house.  How would you like to shave 20% to 30% off your electric bill each month?  Well you have an excellent chance to do just that by using Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL).

These babies use 75% less power than a standard light bulb.  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and give off light that mimics the light from a standard bulb and they last about eight times as long as a regular bulb.  And if you want to think globally for a moment, can you imagine how ticked off OPEC would be if everyone on Earth started using these things?  Did I mention they use one quarter of the energy of a regular bulb.  That means that oil fired electrical plants would be selling a lot less electricity and our use of fossil fuels could drop dramatically.

A single bulb in every American home would reduce the harmful gases released into the environment equivalent to the amount emitted by 800,000 cars.  This is the reason that many governments are offering subsidies or even giving away these bulbs.

So why doesn’t everyone have them?  They cost more than standard bulbs.  They cost more but they last longer and they use less power.  In the long run they save significant money.  You do the math.

When you’re buying these things there are a couple of items you want to check to make sure you get what you want.  You definitely want the replacement bulb to be as close to the amount and color of the light as the standard bulb.  To do this, you want to compare two things, Lumens and Kelvin ratings.  Lumens are the amount of light given off.  If you are changing a 75 Watt bulb, find out how many lumens it gives off and match that to the CFL which will probably be a 25 watt bulb.  Light has different colors or Kelvin rating and again you want to match up the standard bulb rating with the CFL.  You can get this info off the package each comes in.

The one downside that CFLs have is disposal.  These bulbs have a tiny amount of mercury in them.  This is what makes them so efficient but it also the reason you can’t simply toss them in the trash.  These bulbs are considered hazardous and need to be disposed of like you would any other hazardous material like paint, electrical appliances or chemicals.

Switching out to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs just makes sense on so many levels.  Give it a shot, save some money and save the environment as well.

Article Source : Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Cfl – Save Money, Save The World : ArticleBase

Jessica Boyd
Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs or CFL is a favorite topic for Jessica Boyd but she also has some great ideas about  Fireplace Screens with Doors.  Visit her site at FireplaceScreensWithDoors.Com to learn all the latest on Wrought Iron Fireplace Screen.