Community Corner
How to Save Money with CFLs (And How to Recycle Them in Westford)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs can save you money for years to come.
Energy efficiency is a hot topic.
One simple step to be more efficient -- and save money -- is to swap all your all your traditional incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
The cost of CFLs has come down quite a bit in recent years (now about $5 a pop), making them an affordable choice. On the other hand, LEDs are quite pricey, at roughly $40 per bulb. For this reason, LEDs may not be a viable option at the moment.
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The Savings
To estimate the savings of a CFL vs. an incandescent, let’s use the example of a 60-watt bulb on for eight hours everyday. I am also assuming a price of $0.136 per kilowatt hour, which is according to my latest National Grid electric bill.
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Incandescent:
60W x (365 days x 8 hours) = 175 kWh x $0.136/kWh => $23.83
Plus the initial price of bulb = $ 0.50
Total Price For One Year = $24.33
CFL:
The CFL can deliver the same amount of light using only 13 watts.
13W x (365 days x 8 hours) = 37.96 kWh x $0.136/kWh => $5.16
Plus the initial price = $5
Total Price For One Year = $10.16
Even with the higher initial cost, the CFL will save you $14.17 in its first year. The savings don’t end there. This bulb will last 8 times longer than the incandescent. Over the life of this single bulb, you will save $50 and the time to replace that incandescent 8 times.
When a CFL does burn out, you need to dispose of it properly. Westford , MacKay’s Hardware and Home Depot will all accept your CFLs for proper disposal.
If you are not convinced about CFLs yet, you still have about a year before the government phases out incandescents. CFLs really have come a long way since they were first introduced. They come on instantly and produce a nice light.
For more energy saving tips, visit http://www.masssave.com. This program, sponsored by the Massachusetts’ gas and electric utilities, provides free home energy assessments to eligible home owners. They also include free CFLs to replace any incandescents. I received about 10 free CFLs through this program.