Every fixture in this home now has less bulbs and the incandescent bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's). We think one or two bulbs in a ceiling fan is more than sufficient rather than using four light bulbs. Outside the home, there are two really large spot lights that use 400 watts apiece (see picture above) and they were scheduled to be on from dusk until dawn! With a flip of a breaker, those lights are now off and we can now see the stars! All in all, there are 41 less bulbs screwed into fixtures in our home.
For those of you with those long fluorescent tubes, check with an electrician before you decide to remove bulbs because those type of lights require ballasts. If you're not careful, you can actually use more energy and shorten the life of the ballast by removing bulbs---check with an electrician.
Some people argue that CFLs are worse for the environment because they contain mercury. At my previous job as a Resource Conservation Manager for a school district, I was faced with this argument a lot. This article by Energy Star explains the benefits of CFLs and their effects on the environment. To sum up the article, mercury makes CFLs more efficient thereby reducing the amount of electrical demand. More than half of the mercury emissions in the US come from coal-fired power plants. By using a CFL, there is less demand for electricity, thereby reducing overall mercury emissions into the atmosphere. The amount of mercury in a CFL is significantly less than what is produced from a coal power plant.
When you are finished using a CFL, it can be taken to a recycling facility so the mercury doesn't end up in a landfill. Home Depot is one place that accepts CFL light bulbs for free! Look for a recycling drop box by the customer service desk.
Great post! I'm with you on the microwave. I never use and it takes up so much space on the counter. My husband uses it once in a blue moon though, so we keep it. I love the convenience of a clothes dryer, but could totally make do without one (and have done so before). I love the fluffy softness of diapers from the dryer vs on the line. They always came off so crispy when I line dried :-).
ReplyDeleteHi Jill! I think you're referring to the next post about going without appliances. I agree with the softness of diapers coming out of the clothes dryer vs. the line. Thankfully Paul had Fuzzi Bunz diapers which had a fleece liner between the prefold (the large rectangular piece) and his bottom so it was nice and soft!
ReplyDeleteJill, I like how my diapers come off the outdoor clothing line already folded in half. They are crispy though. Is there a silver lining here? Maybe crispy diapers are incentive for our kids to potty train earlier. And we can think of all the money saved by not using the dryer (or by swapping old light bulbs for energy efficient ones) that can be spent on other things for our children.
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