How to SWITCH?
Why SWITCH?
Pick the CFL bulb with the same Lumens (Light output) as the one you are replacing.
For CFLs that look closer in color to incandescents look for "warm white," with a color temperature between 2650 and 2850 degrees Kelvin.
For dimmers check that the CFL says it is dimmable.
CFLs work best in open fixtures that have airflow.
REMEMBER: CFLs contain up to 4mg of mercury which means that you should not vacuum a broken bulb. Instead open a window and wipe clean with a disposable wipe. By comparison, a medical thermometer has 500mg of mercury. Tooth fillings that contain mercury will contain an average of 800 mg per filling.
Compact Flourescent Lamps (CFLs) use up to 80% less energy than old-fashioned incandescents.
CFLs last 10 to 12 times longer than incandescents.
Incandescents waste 90% of their energy creating heat instead of light.
Using a 100W incandescent light bulb for just 30 minutes creates enough CO2 to fill a balloon
By switching to CFLs, your AC won't have to compete with the heat generated by incandescents, thereby reducing need and cost of cooling.
The Big Switch
Scroll through some external links:
Video: CFL Light Bulbs in Plain English
Equilibrium works with companies and homeowners to help make their switch easier. Contact us if you would like more information, advice or would like to consider offsetting your carbon emissions by investing in solutions to reduce energy consumption in your communities.
The following countries have introduced legislation to ban Incandescent bulbs within the next three years:
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Cuba
Germany
Ireland
Italy
New Zealand
Philippines
United States of America
Venezuela
