Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

I know this is the most obvious thing one can do to help cut electricity costs in their home, but I feel that I really need to cover this subject. Although they do cost more than traditional light bulbs, they will pay off within two years, just by how much you save on your hydro bill. Here is some information about compact fluorescent light bulbs:

• CFLs give off the same amount of light as a traditional incandescent light bulb but use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer (over 6000 hours, or roughly five years). They are the only light bulbs to carry the ENERGY STAR designation.
  
• They can directly replace incandescent or halogen lamps in many fixtures. Although they are more costly than incandescent light bulbs, the energy savings can pay off the additional cost in less than two years when used in light fixtures that are on for more than three hours per day.
  
• Modern CFLs provide the characteristic warm glow of incandescent light bulbs, making them suitable for any application in the house. **

There are sometimes coupons available for CFLs as well, which will assist you in saving even more money.

Although CFLs do cost more than the incandescent light bulb, it is well worth the investment. Why? CFLs last about 5 years, which is up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Which means that over time, you would be spending about the same amount of money on CFLs as you would be incandescents. This, in turn, would end up saving you money because of the electricity savings over time.

We have switched every single light bulb in our house over to CFLs. In the last year, we have seen an average monthly savings of $6.75. I know that may not seem like a lot of money, but over a 12 month period, that is an average savings of $81!! That is more than enough money to completely replace all of the incandescent light bulbs in your house with CFLs.

**Information from Natural Resources Canada website.