- Electricity in Maine costs about 15.5 cents
per kilowatt hour, well above the national average. To operate a 100
watt incandescent bulb for 10,000 hours costs about $155. To operate the
equivalent CFL costs $38.75. The purchase price of a light bulb is a
small fraction of the operating cost.
- To help offset the cost of buying new CFLs,
the state of Maine--through select retailers like
F.W. Horch--offers
a $1.00 per bulb instant rebate to Maine residents.
- CFLs are about four times more efficient than
incandescents. So you can replace a 60 watt incandescent with a 15 watt
CFL.
- All CFLs contain a tiny bit of mercury vapor
inside a glass tube. You should NEVER throw away a CFL in your regular
trash. Instead, bring them back to most hardware stores and lamp
retailers for proper recycling at the end of their useful lives.
- If you break a CFL, sweep up the bits with
two pieces of paper to avoid touching the broken glass. Put everything
in a zip-loc bag and seal it. Then dispose of it during one of your
town's household hazardous waste disposal days.
- CFLs can work with dimming and three-way
switches, but only if their ballast is rated for those applications.
Make sure to ask for dimmable or three-way CFLs if you need them. They
are more expensive than CFLs that can't handle being dimmed.
- The light quality of CFLs varies widely. Shop
for CFLs in a store that offers a light bank so you can see the
difference before you buy. All CFLs generate ultraviolet (UV) light
inside a glass tube. The UV light is absorbed by a phosphor coating and
re-emitted as visible light. Different mixes of phosphors produce
different kinds of light.
- Modern CFLs do not hum or flicker. Decades
ago, fluorescent lamps used magnetic ballasts to pulse electricity
through the mercury vapor inside the glass tube. This resulted in
humming and flickering. Modern CFLs use electronic ballasts, which send
electricity through the mercury vapor in a way that allows the phosphors
to emit a quiet, steady glow.
- Some CFLs rated "instant on" are better than
others. F.W. Horch sells CFLs that really do light up when you flip the
switch, without an annoying delay. It's best to shop at a store that
lets you test the bulbs before you buy them.
- CFLs are rated by their start temperature. If
the temperature is below their rating, they may fail to light. If you
are planning use CFLs outside during the winter in Maine, make sure they
have a low start temperature rating. F.W. Horch sells bulbs that are
rated to start at 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
- CFLs should last several years. Most
are rated to provide 10,000 hours of light on average. Write the date of
installation on the base with a marker so you can track how long yours
are lasting. If you notice that CFLs are failing in certain locations,
it is a good idea to have an electrician check the circuit. You may find
a problem with your house electrical wiring that could be dangerous. If
you know which circuit is which, you can also check the voltage and herz
rate with a
Kill-A-Watt meter.
source:
F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, Brunswick, Maine
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