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Hello, Do the CFL light Bulbs save money ? I have them throughout my home and I did not notice a large reduction on my Electric bill. Has anyone else noticed a change ? The lighting is a little dim also and I thought about changing them out if I dont notice a big change in my electric bill. Thanks for any help you can give me. Bradshaw
$5-$10 a month? Hmm... I don't see it.... Honestly I don't like CFLs and I prefer whatever has the largest lumens and I choose that.... CFLs has mercury and I definitely don't want that contaminating the water supply as it already has...
CFLs have mercury, just like tube fluoro bulbs, street lamps, LCD computer monitors & TVs, old thermostats & thermometers. Proper disposal is key. This new technology is here to stay. More public messages/education about proper disposal is a must.
Otherwise I'll gladly save $5-10 per month. That's like getting free Netflix.
we have seen a reduction seen switching...you may not see it right away, but you will over time. if you have every light on in your house it doesnt help you save any no matter what kind of bulb you have. it takes them longer to heat up as well, so thats less thats being used
we have seen a reduction seen switching...you may not see it right away, but you will over time.
how?
why would you see it 'over time' but not right after installing them? look at your historical data (available from poco) for the 12/mo prior to installing the CFL's. That will tell you the truth. You're either saving money or you're not. There is no "break-in" period.
Anyhow, you can expect to save around $10/mo if you use a lot of lights.
Your water heater and hvac will consume the most power. Turn those down if you really need to save some energy.
I'm surprised that nobody has invented a breaker panel that can measure power consumption at each breaker, and where it can send you a weekly/monthly report via email (hey maybe it is a wifi client)... that would be cool. By being aware of how and where you consume you can figure out a strategy to save.
The local energy company here in Colorado is doing instant rebates on CFLs. $1 buys you a CFL. That saves you some money
So, I installed them throughout the house. The only thing that bugs me about them is the warm up time. I put two 75W equivalents in the cold garage. Takes a lil bit of time to have them come up to brightness. But other than that it is a great way to save on electricity. Maybe not noticeable per month but over the long run.
I think the CFLs have a very minute ammount of mercury in them. And as time draws on and these bulbs actually start to burn out I am sure CFL recycling will become more common place to deal with the mercury issue.
I'm surprised that nobody has invented a breaker panel that can measure power consumption at each breaker, and where it can send you a weekly/monthly report via email (hey maybe it is a wifi client)... that would be cool. By being aware of how and where you consume you can figure out a strategy to save.
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