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Many of you wonder: "Incandescent bulbs or compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)"? Some of us also wonder: "What's the difference?".
Adopted from Bryan Walsh's article, "Let there be Light" at Time.com, below are some calculated facts (Table 1) about these two kinds of light bulbs and we hope that all readers of this page would make wiser choices when purchasing consumer products that are more eco friendly.
The fact remains that CFLs saves you energy. If one million households changed four lightbulbs each, 900,000 tons of greenhouse gases would be eliminated. (Plus, you’ll save money over the life of the bulbs).
Table 1: Comparison between Incandescent Bulbs and CFLs in terms of Power Use, Average Price, Lifespan and Costs for 5 Years of Light
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Incandescent Bulb
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Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs)
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Power Use
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60 watts |
15 watts |
| Average Price |
about RM 3 per 60 watt bulb |
RM5 per equivalent 15 watt bulb |
| Life Span |
1000 hours, approximately |
10,000 hours, approximately |
| Cost for 5 years of light (at 10 cents per kW) |
abour RM500. |
about RM 250 |
Early compact fluorescents got a bad rap because their ghostly, grim light made you and your friends look like the walking dead. That’s to improved phosphors, it’s not easy to find CFLs that produce a warm, natural glow. For the most lifelike results, look for bulbs with a color temperature of about, 2,700 K and a color rendition index of at least 80. Make sure the bulbs are Energy-Saving bulbs.
Visit onebillionbulbs.com for more information.
Did You Know That?
- CFLs were invented in response to the 1973 Middle East oil crisis
- The bulbs can save up to 2,000 times their weight in greenhouse gases
- Wal-Mart alone is aiming to sell at least 100 million CFLs a year
Source: “Let there be Light” by Bryan Walsh. Thursday, Dec. 06, 2007. Time.com. (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1692044,00.html)
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