It seems as though we’ve come to a time when everyone is looking for new and exciting ways to go green. Some of the eco-conscious are now dining at green restaurants, and some are even implementing green landscaping techniques into their routine lawn care. But others are actually going back to one of the most obvious ways to save on energy consumption: using energy efficient light bulbs.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) provide an easy way to reduce energy usage in the home. They use 75 percent less energy than other light bulbs and they last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs, according to an article on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site.
CFLs originally qualified for the Energy Star label in 1999, and according to the Energy Star Web site, the usage of Energy Star bulbs can have a significant positive impact on the reduction of energy usage. “If every American home replaced just one light with an ENERGY STAR light, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, about $700 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions of about 800,000 cars,” Energy Star said on its site.
Even though CFLs seem like the perfect solution, there is one issue that makes them an area of concern for the home owner. What some people may not know is that CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, which can make them a hazard if broken or shattered. However, the EPA believes that the benefits of energy reduction are greater than the level of danger posed by the mercury-containing bulbs.
The good news is that there is a simple solution to the mercury hazards. If broken, there are some helpful steps to follow for safe clean-up. These can be found on the EPA Mercury Web site at http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#flourescent.
In order to prevent mercury leakage into the environment, it is vital to take precautions when disposing of used and burned-out bulbs. Some home improvement retailers provide recycling for CFLs. For example, the Home Depot has a CFL Recycling Program that offers free in-store recycling at all of its locations nationwide.
IKEA also provides similar free-of-charge recycling. In addition, IKEA claims to have one of the lowest mercury levels in CFLs. The company is currently working on creating a CFL bulb with no mercury content at all.
For more Helpful Hints on how to make your home more environmentally friendly, visit our Green Homes section.
Jennifer Griffin, Contributing Writer and Public Relations, GreeningDetroit.com
Jennifer is pursuing a degree in Journalism and English from Wayne State University, and she is also a Contributing Writer for The South End.
