Green Energy efficient bulbs and devices have been around for years now...has an

1. 73

   thranaxposted 8 years ago

   Green Energy efficient bulbs and devices have been around for years now...has anyone really saved $?
   
   Green was the biggest way to go and still is...but has anyone really truly saved hundreds or thousands using green light bulbs or green tvs etc?
   
   

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2. 84

   tsmogposted 8 years ago

   Not sure of hundreds or thousands since I use so few. The only measure I can offer is I have not changed a light bulb for many years now. Some I know for sure since '05. I have used LED for many lamps some near 10 years.
   
   Those with LED I leave on at night such as when watching TV or the front porch, which is on 24/7. I also mix them at my desk / room lamp too. That has 5 separate receptacles for a bulb. Three LED and two are CFL aimed at the desk for brightness. Those are becoming more efficient these days too. 
   
   Efficiency contrast cost really for my experience is pretty good. Those LED bulbs were an eBay purchase. The bulbs were an imported item distributed from San Francisco with free shipment. They must have had a high volume.

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3. 96

   eugbugposted 8 years ago

   CFL and LED use about 20% of the energy of conventional incandescent bulbs. If you have a lot of lighting, e.g. several outdoor lights which are left on all evening/at night, lights in corridors, and lights in living spaces, the savings mount up over the years.
   Take a single 100 watt incandescent bulb in a room. If this is turned on for 4 hours in summer and 8 hours in winter, that's 6 hours on average per day, per year.
   Total cost of energy at 12 c  per unit is 100 / 1000 x 6 x 365 x 0.12 = $26.28.
   CFL or LED gives an 80% saving in energy which is approx $21 per year for this example. 
   CFL lamps are more expensive at present than incandescent, and LED even more so. However the cost of LED lamps is dropping all the time as production increases and more people adopt this lighting technology. CFL lighting will eventually be replaced by LED which has several advantages over the former, including instant light availability and no warm-up period,  long life (>50,000 hours) and no issue with mercury vapor content.
   I don't know what the situation is in the US as regards displaying energy rating of appliances. In the EU, white goods must have a sticker showing the energy rating category, A being most efficient. Better insulation in fridges and freezers and less water use in washing machines result in less electricity being use.

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      DrMark1961posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      What about a bathroom or closet? If you flip the light off and on, are flourescent still a better option?

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      eugbugposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Some CFL can take up to a minute to reach full brightness, however this isn't usually a major problem unless switched by a PIR sensor and instant brightness is required. Also lamps should be enclosed in a fitting if they could be knocked and damaged.

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4. 0

   PeterStipposted 8 years ago

   Talking about saving dollars is not the first priority for going green. To help the environment and to give our children a better future. That's what going green is all about.
   You should not directly look at it from a money wise point of view. If you go green and buying energy saving lightbulbs is part of it, in the end you will live healthier and have less problems which saves you hospital bills etc.

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