Change a Light Day

This Wednesday, October 3rd, is the US EPA Energy Star Program's Change a Light Day. As daylight time gets shorter, people begin spending more time indoors with the lights on -- this is a great time learn about the benefits of switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs):

Energy Star qualified CFL bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard (incandescent) lightbulbs. They also last about 10 times longer!

Over the lifetime of a CFL, you can save about 30 dollars in electricity costs.

CFLs produce less heat than traditional bulbs.

Tips for choosing a bulb:

You'll get the most energy and monetary savings by using CFLs in light fixtures that are on for at least 15-minutes at a time, or several hours each day. In your home, those fixtures might be found in the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and dining room. You can use CFLs in outdoor fixtures, too.

Make sure you get the right amount of light by finding a CFL that is labeled as the equivalent to the wattage you usually use. This information should be right on the packaging.

The "lumen rating" of a CFL will help you find the right light -- a higher rating means more light output. For example, a 60-watt bulb will put out 800 lumens; a 100-watt bulb will put out 1,600 lumens.

Find more tips at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_tips_cfls.

Disposing of CFLs: CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury (about one-one hundreth of the amount of mercury in an older thermometer). Instead of putting them in the trash, where they can break and release mercury, it's best to dispose of CFL bulbs by recycling them. Many communities offer collection sites, and you can find one by visiting www.cleanup.org. Learn more, and find information about what to do if a CFL breaks on the Energy Star Website: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf


Take the Pledge: Individuals can log onto http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=cal.showPledge and take a pledge to change at least one light. Currently, the Change a Light campaign has collected more than 892,000 individual pledges, adding up to more than 2.1 million lightbulbs. What does that mean? We'll avoid using more than 593 million kilowatt hours of energy, prevent over 860 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, and save over 55 million dollars in energy costs!