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Switch five this month
The 38th annual Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22 of this year.
Earth Day is a global effort, sponsored by the Earth Day Network* to call attention
to the steps each one of us can take to help protect and preserve the earth’s
environment. Among this year’s call to action is Project Switch.* This
project encourages homeowners to sign a pledge* to change out the incandescent
light bulbs in their home to more efficient models (typically a compact fluorescent
light (CFL) bulb).
The Department of Energy is also urging Americans to do the same. As part of
its Energy Star program, DOE has adopted a program** called “Change a
Light, Change the World.” It says that switching to compact fluorescent
light bulbs provides these benefits:
-A CFL will use at least 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to
provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer.
-A homeowner could expect to save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s
lifetime.
A CFL will generate 70 percent less heat, so they’re safer to operate and
can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.
-In addition to other quality requirements, most CFL’s turn on instantly,
produce no sound, and fall within a warm color range or be otherwise labeled
as providing cooler color tones.
-And thanks to new engineering, CFLs are now available in different sizes and
shapes to fit in almost any fixture (indoors or outdoors).
To save the
most energy and money, Energy Star recommends that each off us replace our most-used
fixtures or the light bulbs in them with energy-efficient models. The five highest
use fixtures in a home are typically the kitchen ceiling light, the living room
table and floor lamps, bathroom vanity, and outdoor porch or post lamp. Energy
Star qualified lighting fixtures and replacement bulbs can be found at home improvement
and hardware stores, lighting showrooms, and other retail stores, including on-line
outlets.
The beauty
of “Project Switch” and “Change a Light, Change the World” is
the dramatic impact both could have if we all took part. If adopted across the
United States, Earth Day Network estimates that switching to energy-efficient
lighting would save consumers and businesses approximately $18 billion annually
on electricity bills. Annual energy demand for lighting would be reduced by the
equivalent of what is generated by thirty nuclear power plants or up to 80 coal
based power plants.
DOE estimates
if every American home changed out just five high-use light fixtures or the bulbs
in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR, each family would save about
$60 every year in energy costs, and together we’d save about $6.5 billion
each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions
from more than 8 million cars.
A resource
to calculate your personal savings by switching to CFL bulbs can be found on
the Touchstone Energy Cooperative website***.
No matter
which calculation you use, the energy and economic savings are indeed impressive
by switching to energy efficient light bulbs. This month, let’s all take
one step: let’s commit to replacing five light bulbs and/or fixtures in
our homes with CFL bulbs. To paraphrase the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong as
he set foot on the moon, switching to CFLs would be one small step for each of
us, but one gigantic leap for energy efficiency and security in America.
**If
you want to “Change A Light, Change the World,” visit http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=lighting.pr_lighting
*To join Project Switch, go to: http://action.earthday.net/dia/organizationsORG/EDN/signUp.jsp?key=2108&Country=US
***To find the Touchstone Energy savings calculator, visit www.ndarec.com and
link to the calculator @ https://touchstoneenergy.cooperative.com/public/programs/EnergyEfficiency/Lightbulbcalculator.htm
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