Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

We have all heard the buzz lately on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs, or CFL's, that are supposed to save you money utility bills.  They use less watts to put out the same amount of light.  Well, it occurred to me that not all of us know exactly how to use these, why to use these, and the real deal on the Mercury inside.  So, as you know me, I went to research.

First,  Incandescent Light Bulbs.  The "Normal" Light Bulbs that we have used for years really work off of heat instead of light.  Depending on what report you read the incandescent light bulb is 90-95% Heat and 5-10% Light.  Thus making it a rather inefficient bulb that can heat up your room.  If you are in the Southern part of the United States, that is probably one of the last things you want to do in the Summer.

These new Spiral Bulbs actually have their own Ballast in them.  According to Wikipedia, these bulbs can save up to 2000 times their weight in Greenhouse Gases.  On an equivalent 60 Watt Bulb it will only use 13 Watts thus using an average of 75% less electricity and saving money.  Now, how much will you save?  That is really hard to say because everyone has different household habits, but if you read the package it has a Dollar Amount.  This dollar amount is based on using the bulb for 3 hours per day and usually at .10 per kwh.  If you are in Houston, you probably pay WAY more than that.  There are ways to make sure that you get the most bang for your buck.  That is what I researched.

Here are a few things that you might not know:

• Use the bulbs in areas where you will have the light on for longer than 15 minutes at a time.  The Restroom, for example, may not be the most effective place to use this type.  Using these bulbs for less than 15 minutes at a time can shorten the life of them making your dollar not go as far.
• Do not use these bulbs in closed Fixtures such as Flush Mount lights in the Hallway.  No air will get to it and it can shorten the life of the bulb or worst, cause it to get too hot.
• They make Outdoor CFL's for use at night.  However, if you are in a region where the temperature stays below 41 Degrees for several weeks at a time, you may encounter problems with the bulb.
• You can not use this bulb if the light is connected to a Dimmer.
• They do make CFL bulbs now for 3-Way Lamps

With all positives there are negatives.  The negative with these bulbs is that they contain a very small amount of Mercury inside.  As little as 1 teaspoon of Mercury can contaminate Lake forever.  There is a minute amount (appx. 5 mg) of Mercury in these bulbs which means that:

1. If one breaks, you need to clean it up properly
2. It is best not to send these bulbs on the Truck to the Landfill

I am going to place Helpful Links at the bottom of this post for more information on both of these topics. 

So, these new funny looking bulbs, all in all are a great product and really can save money on your electric bill.  Just be aware handle them properly. 

Helpful Links for more information on Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs:

• Where can I send spent CFL Bulbs to be Recycled?  Local Centers in US and Canada  Also, your local Lowe's or Home Depot may have a drop.
• How should I clean up a Broken CFL?  Mercury Cleanup 
• Detailed Information on CFL's
• Detailed Information on Mercury Pollution
• My area is not on the Website of local Providers. What are my options?  Light Bulb Recycling by Mail
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Wikipedia-  This web page had an amazing amount of information on this topic.  Outstanding!

The above Links are my Resources for this post with loads of other information regarding these bulbs.  I changed out several in my house yesterday, 8 to be exact.  I look forward to see how my Electric Bill Drops!

Thank You Maruchan313 on Flickr for the Wonderful Photo of this CFL Bulb!

Some of you remember the experiment that I did attempting to reduce my electric bills in my house back in June where I started with re-insulation.  For a recap I went in with a Blown In Cellulose insulation in my attic which was actually recycled newspaper that took me up to an R-38.  Well, I promised that I would post about the energy savings and if there were any so here it is!

For those of you just tuning in you can view the first posts here:

• Part 1
• Part 2

Well,  I decided to wait until I received my September bill to post this.  It is generally the highest bill due to the heat in Houston.  Well,  when I got my bill I was actually quite disappointed AT FIRST.  My bill in August was $270 and the one for September came in at $277.  In all actuality the $7 difference is not that bad, but I expected it to be much lower.

I went on a mission to see what else I could do to lower my bills, but I am going to explain that in another post.  Long story short, my husband believed that our bill WAS lower.  I was on the phone with Mary Bigelow the other evening and decided to filter through my last years worth of Electric Bills to try and see if in fact they were lower.

 Some things to keep in mind before I get started:

Our summer has been very rainy so all in all, the summer has not been as hot as in past years.  Although, you would not believe that if you came to visit.  The actual savings is probably impossible to know but none the less, this will make sense.

The Main difference that I see is COMFORT.  My house is so much more comfortable now than before.  In the summer you could sit in my living room and feel a high level of humidity and just HEAT.  It did not matter what the air conditioner was set on, it was just dang hot and it would not cool down until about 8 o'clock at night.  Now, at any given time of day, it is cool. 

Hot Spots-  I do not notice Hot Spots in my home as much any more.  Before, some rooms were warmer than others, considerably warmer. 

Bugs-  The insulation that I put in is treated with Boric Acid to prevent critters from being in your attic.  Well, unless it is just my imagination,  I have a lot more bugs around the exterior of my house than before.  I still need to work on this although I am trying to find a pest control company that does not use chemicals.  That's another post in itself.

The Air-  The air in my home feels cleaner or fresher.  I don't which would really be the appropriate word.  Maybe it has to do with the reduced Humidity?  I don't know, but I LIKE IT!

Now,  $$$$.  I am only going to go off of my September Bill.  If you would like I can post the difference through the Winter time as well by updating this post.  If so, track the comments so you know when I update it.

I stated that this past bill was $277.  My neighbor and I talk about our Electric Bills and her bills were always $20-$40 LESS than mine AND they were home a lot more than us. 

• September 2006 Bill?  One year ago?  $352.  Yes, $75 more.  The kwh used this year 300 Less. 
• And for my neighbor- Her bill was $320 this month.  $43 more and then think about how mine was always higher.

So, it looks as though my Savings are about $75 LESS after the insulation.  To some, that may not seem like a lot of money but let's consider this:

• Total Cost after Rebate for insulation- $665
• Average savings each month at $60 to be safe year round
• Total Possible Savings of $720 in just 12 months.

Sounds like a deal to me.  In less than ONE Year I will have paid for my insulation.  The only other month that my bill gets high is in January when I have the Heater on which is Electric also.  I will be anxious to see what my bill is then.

So, the end of my Experiment says-  If your home is older and the insulation is not anywhere up to code, Re-Insulate.  More than likely you will recuperate your money in a VERY short period of time.

Now,  in order to reduce my bills some more I will be doing more upgrades to the home to help make it more efficient.  Stay tuned to find why I'm doing all of this, how it will help in more ways than you could imagine, and WHY YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU DO. 

OH, and let me know if any of you want me to continue tracking my bills on this post.

Those of you that read my posts often know that my mind is constantly turning.  Mostly about business but also about other things, everything..you just never know where my mind will go next.  This is one of my stories and I am going to end this post with an Off The Wall Proposition to the Health Care Industry.

Well, the other day I was heating something up in the Microwave.  As it was heating I looked at it and thought "You know, I am heating this up in less than a minute. I'm sure they call it nuking food for a reason."  As my mind thought about that I began to wonder, "why do I even use this thing?  The food tastes different, and most often not for the better.  If it is nuking food, what is it doing to us as people?  Why don't I just get rid of my Microwave, get a better Stove/Oven and use it more."  Yes, my thoughts flip that fast.  I thought about it for a couple of minutes and then off to something else.  I thought no more about it.

Until of course the other day when I was reading a post by Barbara Jo Roberts talking about White Noise and How It Affects Our Environment.  The post talked about how "noisy" electricity is and we do not often realize it.  It was a speculative, very deep thinking and great post which reminded me of my Microwave story.  Then, back to business, I thought no more of it.  Well, today I read the most outrageous story in the newspaper that got me on the subject again.  It was about a man that had eaten Microwave Popcorn twice a day for 10 years.  He ended up with Health Problems, mainly with his lungs.  For the sake of this post I will keep going and you can read The Article Here.  I decided to do some research on the topic.

I Googled 'Microwave Illness' and found 1,390,000 links.  Wow.  Obviously this subject is not new.  It spoke of Foodborne Illnesses being more prominent in Microwave food, The Popcorn Guy, the people at the plants that manufacture the popcorn, and other Miscellaneous Electricity/MicroWave Topics.  Is it really a coincidence that as Technology gets better, there are more illnesses that were previously unheard of? 

The first link was about a Doctor/Researcher who has recently written a book on Radiation and Health.  He talks about a variety of Radiation Issues and how there are seemingly unrelated illnesses increasing across the globe due to us creating one big Earth Microwave by using Technology.

Another one was a study by the San Francisco Medical Society regarding Waves-ElectoMagnetic Waves and Cell Phones in particular.  Quite Interesting.  Seemingly Unrelated Illnesses and Cancer were found.

I read so many articles but the last one Really caught my eye.  Electrical Sensitivity as an Emerging Illness.  Who would not have to read this.  We have all heard the Controversy with Power Lines, but this takes it further.  Computers, Televisions, Wireless Internet, Cordless Phones, you name it.  Basically, if it has Electricity.  They have found that there are people that are getting sick around Large Quantities of Electricity.  Have you hear the term "I think I'm allergic to work"?  They found truth in that statement.

Now I'm stuck here thinking, so what do we do about this.  These are REAL studies by REAL Medical Professionals and coming to REAL conclusions.  I personally think that I am going to get rid of my microwave as a start.  I do not want my children eating stuff that is nuked if we are already learning the Health Consequences of using Microwaves.  It will be out by the end of the week.

Now, I said that I had a Proposition for the Medical Industry.  I read through links and links of studies today.  We spend Billions of Dollars a year on Research.  Instead of testing how Negative something like this can be, why don't we test how Positive it would be without it? 

I have not thought this completely through yet, but why doesn't a Medical Research Company help sponsor an Off The Grid Sustainable Community and track the Positive Results?  Let's go Off The Grid somewhere and find out how our health changes by not being Exposed to Electromagnetic Fields, Microwaves, and other Technology that sucks Electricity like Plasma Televisions.  I think it sounds like one heck of an idea.  As a matter of fact, if you chose to do one anywhere near Houston,  I would move in a heartbeat.  Living Off The Grid is sounding Smarter Every Day and like I said, I'm starting with my Microwave.