Shed Light. Dim Down.

There’s a lot of talk about carbon credits, offsets and emissions lately. (thankfully!) While most of us are getting finally up to speed on climate change, global warming and in touch with what we can do — I thought it was worth the mention again that one of the easiest and most effective steps each of us can take is to choose the best possible light to live by.

The general story on light bulbs is that compact fluorescent bulbs are more efficient. (use less energy); They also tend to produce a more diffuse light and so some people like to use a reflector rather than a light shade in fixtures that are intended to deliver light for reading and detailed work. In some cities CF bulbs are being provided for replacement of incandescent bulbs or rebate programs are in place. Check with your local utility company or municipality’s website to see if one applies in your town.

The relationship between incandescent bulbs and CF bulbs is as follows:

a 40 watt bulb, replace with a 13 to 15 watt CF

a 60 watt bulb, replace with a 18 to 22 watt CF

a 75 watt bulb, replace with a 23 to 25 watt CF

a 100 watt bulb, replace with a 27 to 32 watt CF

In addition to CF bulbs, try LED bulbs which are more expensive than CFs but last longer. These are also very efficient in terms of the number of watts required to deliver sufficient light. This technology is fairly new, so expect the variety to increase and the price to come down over the next few years.

A couple of sources for more information on where to find bulbs, pricing and rebates.

http://www.environmentaldefense.org/page.cfm?tagID=632&campaign=mts&source=searchg_200701

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/03/evangelizing_co.php

http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/index.aspx

Dimming lights also helps of course. Check to ensure bulbs are compatible with dimmers.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/dimmer-switch.htm

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