25 percent of a regular home electrical budget is sadly spent only on lighting as a result of using incandescent style light bulbs, which are wholly inefficient. Typical light bulbs can cost between 5 and 10 times their own cost in electricity despite their relatively short period of life. However, there are a number of alternatives to consider. One such alternative that is well worth considering is the CFL or Compact Fluorescent Light bulb, which is a miniature version of full-sized fluorescent lighting, and they are capable of screwing right into a traditional light fitting.

CFL bulbs tend to be approximately four times more efficient than a standard incandescent light bulb, and they are also quite capable of lasting as much as ten times as long. In other words, a 22 Watt Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is capable of offering the same amount of lighting as any ordinary 100w incandescent light bulb, but it will last for approximately 5 years instead. When you use an 18 watt Compact Fluorescent Light bulb in place of a 75w standard lighting fixture, you can save more than 55 kWh over the lifetime of the bulb, which offers significant savings over time, even more than the initial cost of the light bulb itself. Not only this, but you will also prevent half of a ton of Co2 from being pumped into our air and our atmosphere on the behalf of local power stations.

Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs are capable of being used in nearly every location where an incandescent light bulb can be used. However, you should know that the lifetime associated with a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb can be greatly reduced when it is used in an application where the light is switched on and off rather frequently. Also, there are some situations where a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is unsuitable for use, such as for use as a spot light or use with a dimmer switch. In general, the best use for a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is when lighting an entire room.

The concept of replacing every regular light bulb with a Compact Fluorescent Light bulb or CFL light bulb is a great one, but it is important to know that there are drawbacks just as there are advantages. For example, the average Compact Fluorescent Light bulb actually contains a total of 4mg of mercury, which is toxic. While this quantity of mercury is not a problem when the Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is used correctly, it is still something that you are going to want to consider when it comes to whether or not you are going to change out all of your standard light bulbs with new Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs.

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