Spring Break
Fluorescent Bulbs A Bright Idea
Kyle Thomas
Issue date: 4/12/07 Section: Commentary
When I sit in church on Sunday mornings, I expect my pastor's sermon to catch my ear. After all, this is what he does for a living, so he should be able to deliver a moving speech rather handily. Sometimes he even uses props to hold the congregations' attention. This past Easter Sunday, in a sermon about light and darkness, Rev. Sandy Koenig of Plantsville Congregational Church held up one of the new, energy efficient, compact fluorescent light bulbs that are slowly gaining popularity. While he used the prop as a segue into a meditation on the light of the world, and the darkness following the Crucifixion - a parallel I dare not attempt here - he also delivered powerful information about the value of the tiny new light bulb.
Consider all of the electronic technology used in the course of daily life. Cell phones, alarm clocks, computers and automobiles are all bits of technology we use today. Most of us own all of these things, and most of us replace them regularly with upgraded models. Now consider the tiny light bulb. This piece of technology is perhaps more important than the cell phone or the alarm clock to our standard of living, yet the incandescent light bulb in the majority of residential fixtures hasn't seen a major overhaul since the early 1900s.
What the world is left with is a highly inefficient method of illumination which raises energy consumption, increases electricity rates and contributes to environmental problems. The newer, compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more efficient than the standard light bulb. They last four to ten times longer than the old light bulb, and they produce 75 percent less heat than Thomas Edison's light bulb. Yet, homeowners are far too reluctant to realize the benefits that these bulbs provide. The sticker shocked - or cheap - consumer sees that these bulbs are initially more expensive. The standard incandescent costs less than one dollar, while the comparable fluorescent costs around two. Yet the savings per year pay dividends many times over the $2 initial investment.
Consider all of the electronic technology used in the course of daily life. Cell phones, alarm clocks, computers and automobiles are all bits of technology we use today. Most of us own all of these things, and most of us replace them regularly with upgraded models. Now consider the tiny light bulb. This piece of technology is perhaps more important than the cell phone or the alarm clock to our standard of living, yet the incandescent light bulb in the majority of residential fixtures hasn't seen a major overhaul since the early 1900s.
What the world is left with is a highly inefficient method of illumination which raises energy consumption, increases electricity rates and contributes to environmental problems. The newer, compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more efficient than the standard light bulb. They last four to ten times longer than the old light bulb, and they produce 75 percent less heat than Thomas Edison's light bulb. Yet, homeowners are far too reluctant to realize the benefits that these bulbs provide. The sticker shocked - or cheap - consumer sees that these bulbs are initially more expensive. The standard incandescent costs less than one dollar, while the comparable fluorescent costs around two. Yet the savings per year pay dividends many times over the $2 initial investment.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dave R
posted 4/12/07 @ 5:31 PM EST
I agree with you 100%... in principle.
The problem with restricting people to the new fluourescents is that their odd shapes, short screw sockets,and the large protuberances (ballasts?) on their bases result in their failure to fit in many existing lamps and fixtures. (Continued…)
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