8/9/2019 Tale of Two Light Bulbs ~ Watt Watchers
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LLLLLet s compare. . .on one hand we have a 75w
incandescent bulb just l ike we al l have inour homes. It is
what we ha ve used to light up our
lives since Thomas Edison invented it over 125 yearsago. It uses
75 Watts of electricity and produces1200 lumens of light. Maybe it
is time torethink that old standby.
On the other hand, the funny
looking l ightbulb is aCompact FluorescentLightbulb or CFL. It
is just likethe long tubes we see inschools and stores -except-the
tube is spiral shaped orfolded to be more compac t.This bu lb uses
20 Wa tts ofelectricity and produces 1200 lumensof light.
How is it possible to produce the sameamount of light with only
ONE-FOURTH of theelectric ity? Try this simple test: Carefully touc
hthe top of an incandescent bulb -BE CAREFULit is hot! Now compare
the temperature to aCompact Fluorescent Light bulb -it is
muchcooler. The incandescent bulb turns 90% of theenergy it
consumes into heat and only 10 % ofthe electric ity is used to make
light. The CFL is 4times more efficient and produces more lumensof
light per Watt of electricity.
The CFL is a Sma rt Bulb a nd theincandescent is a Dumb Bulb. So
whydoesnt everyone have CFLs in every soc ket?
Old habits are hard to change. Most people dont consider the c
ost o fenergy for light bulbs (or other applianc es)- they just
look at the cost to buy thebulbs. Cheap bulbs seem like a good
deal. CFLs are more expensive thanincandescent bulbs but they pay
for themselves through lower energy use.Check the chart to see how
much you can save.
Dont be tricked...A 50 cent lightbulb costs
more than a $20 lightbulb!
8/9/2019 Tale of Two Light Bulbs ~ Watt Watchers
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Incandescent vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
(CFLs)Incandescent vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
(CFLs)Incandescent vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
(CFLs)Incandescent vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
(CFLs)Incandescent vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
*Note: 20W CFLs are ava ilab le for $3.00. The equivalent tota l
savings would be $60.50. However, even a $20CFL light bulbs is
cheap er than a 50 cent incandescent bulb.
Change your most often used bulbs and save on yourlight bill. Do
you lea ve the porch light on for sec urity?Which lights in your
living room are on four or morehours per da y? Dont wait for a bulb
to burn out-savethe incandescent bulbs you replace and use them
inclosets or little used soc kets.
Sponsored by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, State
Energy Conservation Office, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Watt Watchers of Texas
Phone/Fax 1-888-US WATTS (1-888-879-2887)e-mail
[email protected]
Visit our website http://wattwatchers.org
20W CFL
1,200
$20.00
Up to 10,000 hours(or 6.8years)
4 hours per day(1,460 hours/year)
1
$20.00
20Wx10,000 hrs= 200,000Watt hrs/1000= 200
$20
$40.00
---
Bulb Type
Lumens Produced
Purchase Price
Life of the Bulb
Number of Hours Burned perDay
Number of Bulbs Needed toequal life of CFL
Tota l Co st o f Purcha sing
Bulbs
Kilo Watss Hours (kWh) (1000Watt hours)
Total Cost of Elec tricity (10cents x kilowatt-hour)
Tota l cost over the 6.8 years
Tota l Saving s using a CFLcompared to an incandes-
cent bulb:
75W Incandescent
1,200
$0.50
750 hours(or 1/2 of year)
4 hours per day(1,460 hours/year)
~ 13.1
$6.50
75Wx10,000 hrs= 750,000Watt hrs/1000= 750 kWh
$75.00
$83.50
$43.50
