Because they last longer, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs) are a convenient alternative to standard bulbs. CFL bulbs produce an average of 70% less heat than what is produced from a standard bulb, resulting in safer operations and decreased home cooling energy costs.

In comparison to standard incandescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs offer several advantages. One of the largest benefits of CFL bulbs is their ability to save both money and energy. CFL bulbs typically last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs and use 2/3 less energy as well.

CFL bulbs come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that will fit just about any light fixture in your home, both indoors and outdoors.

How Do Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Work?

The technology behind compact fluorescent light bulbs is fairly simple to understand. CFL bulbs generate light differently than standard bulbs that rely on the heating of an internal filament. When standard bulbs are heated, the filament turns white and produces light. This process requires an abundance of energy that is wasted after the bulb is heated.

A compact fluorescent light bulb utilizes a gas that results in ultraviolet lighting. When electricity is used to generate UV light from the gas inside the bulb, the internal coating will change and produce visible light. Without the need for heat to generate light, CFL bulbs use far less energy than standard incandescent bulbs.

How Much Money Can CFL Bulbs Save You?

On average, installing compact fluorescent light bulbs will shave $30 or more off of your energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. By replacing 8 of your standard light bulbs with CFL bulbs, at $30 per bulb and using 3 bulbs per year, you are looking at a savings of $720 per year (varies by location / energy rates / usage / CFL brand).

In addition to savings in your own pocket, switching to CFL bulbs decreases energy demands globally and results in less impact on the environment caused by energy production. This means less greenhouse gas emission, the main factor in changes in climate. Because CFL bulbs last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs, they produce less waste to send to landfills.

Shopping tip:  When shopping for compact fluorescent light bulbs, be sure to only purchase bulbs that are qualified by Energy Star.

Compact fluorescent light bulb photo by Dave or Atox.

I only have 5 bags in my collection, and none of them match:

• 2 free reusable shopping bags that Safeway sent me.
• 1 free reusable shopping bag that Walmart sent me.
• 1 free reusable shopping bag that Febreze sent me.
• and 1 personalized shopping bag that I can’t use yet because it’s my Mother’s Day present! (I’ll open it tomorrow!)

Do you see a trend here?  All my bags are free (except the Mother’s Day one- I admit, I bought that one).  It’s not that I don’t want to use all reusable shopping bags instead of plastic, but I figure as long as companies are passing them out for free, it’s time to amass a free collection!  Ah, I love being frugal.

While we’re on the subject of reusable shopping bags, I found this funny animated video about plastic shopping bags at Go Green Tube (it’s like YouTube, only it has all green, recycling and reusing videos).  The video below is too cute about animated animals shopping without bags – you just have to watch! 

Photo by homard.net.