By now, most everyone is at least aware of CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs). Perhaps you are even aware of the tremendous energy savings these bulbs offer over traditional lamps. If not, I've shown the potential savings below. What you may not be aware of is the current promotion at Lowes.
First, the math
The average home has 50 light bulbs. (Hang on, finish reading and then go count)
The average bulb is on 4 hours per day.
Assuming 60W bulbs, this equates to 50*4*365*60 = 4380 Kilowatt hours (KWH) of energy consumption per year.
The average KWH costs $0.10.
So, your light bulbs cost you $438 / year.
A CFL uses less than 1/4 of the wattage of traditional bulbs which equates to $109.50 per year.
Converting your house to CFLs yields a savings of $328.50 per year.
Knowing this, I assume you are rushing to your cars and headed to the store. But, it gets even better. For a limited time, you can buy a 7-pack of 13W (same light output as a 60) bulbs for $9.98 and receive a gift card for $10.00 off of your next $50 purchase. That's right, the net price is -$0.02! You get paid to save hundreds of dollars.
For those of you who like to throw money away, please send a little my way. Better yet, do something useful with it and send it here. For the rest of you, head to Lowes.
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Erik Hitzelberger is a licensed REALTOR with RE/MAX Alliance in Louisville. If you need a Louisville Real Estate agent please email me or call 502.921.3989.
I specialize in the following areas of the Metro Louisville Area: Prospect, Middletown, Jeffersontown (J-Town), Fern Creek, Okolona, Shepherdsville, Mt Washington, Hillview, Brooks and Pewee Valley. Click the following links to learn more about Louisville and Bullitt County Real Estateor to Search for Louisville Homes
This works for those that have home fix-up projects in their future. I don't know what I'd do with $10 off a $50 purchase at Lowe's.
Vickie - Even if you through the coupons away, 50 bulbs cost about $70 and you'd save over $325+ per year. The additional benefit is that the bulbs are supposed to last 5+ years. If so, your $70 investment would be worth over $1600. And that's conservative as I'm pretty sure CA electric rates are more than $0.10 per KWH.
W/R/T the gift cards, you can mail them to me. I'll definitely put the to use :)
I'm a numbers guy, so this really made an impression on me. And there are three Lowe's stores within 15 minutes of my house. Thanks for the tip, Erik!
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John - I am into numbers as well. This is such a simple thing, I can't believe people wouldn't do it if they understood the savings.
C- Thanks!
Erik, that is a substantial savings. What I like about CFL's is they last a long time. Thanks.
Great post. I have switch to these bulbs, but I really do not feel they shed the same light.
Erik - you so totally made my day with this. I replaced most of the bulbs in the new house we moved to with CFL's but didn't have enough to replace all of them:-) At this price, even without the gift card it is so worth it! PS: if anyone doesn't want the gift cards, I'll take them.... It'll make my garden very very happy:-)
Thanks SO MUCH Erik for letting us know about this.
Michael - I agree. There are a few lights in my house that are a real pain in the rear to change. With CFLs, I hope to only have to do it once in a great while.
Jim - I really don't have a problem with the light intensity, but the delay takes a little getting used to. One solution could be to swap to the 75W equivalent in key areas. The actual usage is under 20W so you still get great savings
Seems like a very simple way to save a lot of money once you get over the intiial cost of retrofitting. Thanks for the info.
Inna - I haven't heard from you in a while. Hope all is well. Thanks for stopping by, but go steal gift cards from someone else's blog. I need them:)
Tom - It's as easy as, well, changing a light bulb.
Erik - I am here now, for a while. I even blogged yeserday again:-) It's been so long i am surpised I clicked all the right buttons...
As for gift cards - by all means keep yours!!! You've earned them with this post:-)
When you put it that way, sure sounds like a great deal to me. I need to go out and get some more of these bulbs anyway.
Hey Erik. I agree, going with these bulbs just makes sense. Saves you money, even though you may not notice it right away. Over time, it saves money.
Inna - I really enjoyed your post. It was an interesting glimpse into your life and it made me recall parts of my own.
JL - Too many people procrastinate, make excuses for not taking advantages of opportunities, and then complain that times are tough. I know you aren't one of them. Good to see you.
John - If you've lived in your house more than a year and replaced all of the bulbs at once, you'd probably be able to see the year-over-year impact ($20-$40) on your next electric bill. BTW, Welcome back. I hope the rest of your trip went well.
Conserving energy is great but I can not stand those light bulbs. The lighting quality is poor.
That's the first time I've seen the savings detailed to where it made sense. Thanks. I can see changing out many in my home that won't affect the aesthetics, but will provide savings.
OK...I'm going to head over and buy some. Thanks!
Bill - Buy the 26W (100W equivalent). This should cover any difference in intensity.
Jim - For the best return, replace high use areas with multiple bulbs such as over the kitchen / dining room table or a BR ceiling fan.
Lizette - It's kinda late. You might wait until tomorrow.