Fluorescent Efficiency From The Energy Superstore

Wasting Energy is Bad for the Environment

Mankind needs energy for heating, cooking, manufacturing and for transportation. Our lives and lifestyles depend on it. If you consider that the vast majority of that energy is drawn from what are irreplaceable sources: fossil fuels. Certain fossil fuels burn cleaner than others do. Natural gas is very clean, most petroleum products are somewhat dirty, and coal is very difficult to use without dumping a lot of nasty byproducts into the environment.

The Impact of Fossil Fuels

Not only does the use of fossil fuels have a detrimental impact on the environment; the collection of these fuels also can be damaging to the environment. Strip mining and oil spills are just two obvious, awful consequences of fossil fuel collection. Since making and consuming energy has bad effects on the environment and, the acquiring of the fossil fuels has bad effects on the environment, then it stands to reason that the worst sin against the environment is wasting energy. Wasting energy cause both long-term and short-term negative consequences to the environment. This benefits no one.

Energy Waste Can Be Reduced

Waste can come from so many things. Did you know some cars get zero miles per gallon? They are parked cars with their engines running. As stupid as that sounds, what about the lights on in the empty room and the unwatched television or computer? Just as serious, but not as obvious is the waste caused by poor choices. Inefficient indoor and outdoor lighting is such a choice. Just switching away from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lighting would save so much energy.

Choosing Fluorescent Over Incandescent

Incandescent light bulbs use substantially more electricity than fluorescent lighting. They burn out far more often than compact fluorescent bulbs and also require far more energy to manufacture. The light emitted from fluorescent light bulbs is actually brighter than the light emitted by incandescent bulbs watt-for-watt . Incandescent light bulbs give off substantial heat when turned on, which then requires air conditioning and/or high powered fans to keep the room comfortable. Even if you were to ignore the havoc incandescent bulbs wreak on the environment, cost wise they make no sense when compared to fluorescent lighting. Since less light is required, more money is saved, less energy is wasted, which culminates in decreased negative impact on the environment when using fluorescent lighting.

The current price for a barrel of oil ($143 USD on 6/30/08) is going to make many previously wasteful people now start to pay attention to the ways they can start saving energy. As oil prices go up, so follow the prices of electricity and natural gas. People will set their thermostats higher, look for timers to shut off their water heaters during the day, plan their errands to stop making extra trips, wash clothes in cold water and use a clothesline for drying them, and replace incandescent light bulbs with florescent lighting.

Do Your Part

If you want to do your part to help the environment, Step #1 is very simple. The next time you go to the store to purchase light bulbs, make a specific effort to buy fluorescent lighting instead of anything else. To make it even easier, you can order compact fluorescent light bulbs at a discount online right now at The Energy Superstore, and save gas money too.

Step #2 is also pretty simple, turn off lights and appliances when you leave the room. If everyone implemented these two steps, we would see a major decrease in energy consumption and energy waste. Please try to remember to do your part.

Upgrade Your Lighting

Making improvements to your lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills. An average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting. Using new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in your home by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time lights are on but not being used.

Indoor Lighting

Use tube fluorescent and energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in fixtures throughout your home to provide high-quality and high-efficiency lighting. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent (standard) bulbs and last about 4 to 10 times longer.

Today’s CFLs offer brightness and color rendition that is comparable to incandescent lights. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps cost a bit more than incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime. Now available are dimmable fluorescent light bulbs, which operate much like incandescent fixtures.

Indoor Lighting Tips

• Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing these products.
• Turn off the lights in any room you’re not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
• Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
• Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
• Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas.
• Consider using 4-watt minifluorescent or electro-luminescent night lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. The luminescent lights are cool to the touch.
• Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home. Consider carefully the size and fit of these systems when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommoda+te some of the larger CFLs.
• Recessed downlights (also called recessed cans) are now available that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated), are designed specifically for pin-based CFLs, and can be used in retrofits or new construction.
• Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
• If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy, can produce more light (lumens), and do not get as hot as the halogen torchieres. Halogen torchieres are a fire risk because of the high temperature of the halogen bulb.

Outdoor Lighting

Many homeowners use outdoor lighting for decoration and security. When shopping for outdoor lights, you will find a variety of products, from low-voltage pathway lighting to fluorescent motion-detector floodlights. Some stores also carry lights powered by small photovoltaic (PV) modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity; consider PV-powered lights for areas that are not close to an existing power supply line.

Outdoor Lighting Tips

• Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a motion sensor so they will turn on only at night or when someone is present. A combined photocell and motion sensor will increase your energy savings even more.
• Turn off decorative outdoor natural gas lamps; just eight such lamps burning year-round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter.
• Exterior lighting is one of the best places to use CFLs because of their long life. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a lamp with a cold weather ballast since standard CFLs may not work well below 40°F.
• Also consider high-intensity discharge (also called HID) or low-pressure sodium lights.

By implementing some of these tips and strategies, you will save both energy and money. In many cases your home will also be safer due to the decreased fire hazards. Sick of replacing light bulbs and paying high energy bills? Switch to compact fluorescent lighting and you won’t ever go back.