Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Posted by Neena on 04/1/08 in Home and Garden, Parenting Tips

Energy saving light bulbs are top on the list of energy conscious consumers. We are told that they last longer than ordinary incandescent bulbs but I find all that “lasts so many hours” gibberish on the package to be quite useless. I want to know in real terms how long the light bulbs in my house really last. I know that eventually we will all have to make the move to energy saving light bulbs by law, but in the meantime I have one of my little illuminating parenting tips for you.

In our house we have a lot of recess lights. It seems that I am always changing a blown bulb and with all the choices on the market I never know which style or brand to buy.

So, I have started labeling my light bulbs with a Sharpie permanent marker (oh, you have to love those Sharpies!). Whenever I replace a bulb, either incandescent or energy saving light bulbs, I write the date on the base of the bulb with a Sharpie permanent marker. When the bulb finally blows, I will be able to see the date when I first installed it. This information will help me to decide which brand and style of light bulb to buy in the future.

And this, in turn, should translate into a few extra dollars in my pocket.

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6 Comment(s)

boogiemum | Apr 1, 2008 | Reply

Great idea! I do similar things with cleaners and other items that state a certain amount of usage. I can’t wait to try out this one!
Neena | Apr 4, 2008 | Reply

Boogiemum,
Glad to be of help! I think the data will be useful.
MadMerv | Apr 6, 2008 | Reply

This is a great idea. I’ll have to think of it next time I change a bulb.

Oddly enough this is the second post of the day I’ve read dealing with Energy Efficient Bulbs, although the other one was a bit more alarming. I’m not sure if you know metaDAD but here’s the particular post - http://tinyurl.com/6pktsk - making me think twice.
Neena | Apr 7, 2008 | Reply

MadMerv,
That is scary. I did read about mercury in energy efficient bulbs before. It is a problem when are being used on such a large scale. I wonder if there alternative to using mercury in the manufacturing process?
MetaDAD | Apr 7, 2008 | Reply

That’s a great idea, just be careful how you dispose of the bulb. Those compact fluorescent bulbs have trace amounts of mercury in them and need to be recycled properly.
MetaDAD | Apr 7, 2008 | Reply

I didn’t notice the other comments, sorry.