A Bright Idea

It’s not that we don’t care- it’s more that we just don’t know where to start. We fear that most of what we’re required to do to make a difference will be too costly, too ineffective or too impractical. Fortunately, there is something you can do really easily, with benefits to both the environment and your bank account: Change a lightbulb.

That’s it. Really! Studies reveal that if every home in the U.S. replaced just one light bulb or fixture with a compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL), every year the country would save enough energy to light more than three million homes, more than $600 million in energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. Can you imagine the difference if everyone in Bermuda changed their entire home over to CFL lighting immediately?

Lighting comprises nearly one-fifth of the electricity in the average home. When you use less energy in lighting, our power plant needs to generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide) and reduces the problem of global warming. In fact, the energy in the average home can contribute more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car per year. Environmental change truly starts at home.

CFLs are available in different sizes and shapes at a number of retailers in Bermuda and fit in almost any fixture. They use about 60 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They also produce 75% less heat, so they’ll cut energy costs associated with cooling your home in the summer.

Yes, they’re more expensive, but you won’t need to replace them as often and your long-term savings on your energy bill will more than cover the difference. In fact, they’ll save you about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime.

A word of caution. CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tube (about 100 times less than your average home thermometer). While the mercury is harmless within an intact bulb, it can be dangerous if disposed of incorrectly or broken.

So, follow the same disposal methods as you would with a thermometer: take bulbs to Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility on special waste drop-off days rather than placing them in your regular trash. To make it easier, just store them in a box with old batteries and other hazardous waste products that require similar special disposal. And in the case your CFL breaks, open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes, place fragments in a sealed plastic bag, and bring it to the special waste area at Tynes Bay.

It’s amazing what you can do as a consumer to make a difference. After government and industry, consumers are the third front in the fight against climate change. Positive consumer action is just about adding energy efficiency or sustainability to your criteria for purchasing a product.

So this new year, let’s work together to change the world, one lightbulb at a time.