Ever burned yourself on a light bulb? Ever think about where that heat comes from?

All that heat is energy that is used, but does not create light.  There is waste in just that realization.  But if you also think about how much energy you use (read: “money you spend”) to cool your home, you realize that you can save even more.  If your light bulbs don’t create so much waste heat, your cooling system will not have to work as hard, either.

So replace those incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs).  If each household in the US changed just ONE incandescent bulb to compact fluorescent, the US would save enough energy to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island combined. And because of that, CFLs save money that can be spent on other things.  The money saved could be spent on necessities (right now, with the credit crisis, this might be the most important point), or on other things that will increase your quality of life.

Congress agrees that this is important, as in December of last year they passed an energy bill which included a phase out of incandescent light bulbs.  In actuality, what the bill said is that all light bulbs sold after a time period phasing in between 2012 and 2014 must use 25% to 30% less energy than today’s products.  By 2020, all bulbs must use 70% less energy.  CFLs already meet the 70% requirement.

Between 2012 to 2030, consumers will save $40 billion in energy costs.  14 coal-fired power plants will avoid construction.  And 51 tons of carbon emissions will be avoided annually, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

But what about CFL’s mercury content?  Well – this is a concern; however, bear in mind that a compact fluorescent light bulb holds an amount of mercury about the size of the tip of a ball-point pen.  If you are considering avoiding CFLs based on this, take a look around at your mercury thermometer.  It holds MUCH more mercury than a houseful of CFLs.

But if this is a huge concern for you, there is another option: Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Bulbs!

Read a comparison of Incandescent Bulbs, versus CFLs, versus LED bulbs.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Read more about it at the Coding Grasshopper blog.

Why aren’t any stores in the US doing this?  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

In that vein, I recently found the Startup Nation forums, and within, a discussion of “green” business.  Here is my first post on the forum:

I am a non-apologetic environmentalist, aviation/transportation professional, and entrepreneur.

And yes, I think all of those things are reconcilable. I think that they HAVE to be, or we – the human race – are doomed.

The answer lies not in changing people’s lifestyles (not gonna happen unless forced), but in changing the products and services USED to MEET people’s lifestyle expectations.

Look at compact flourescent lightbulbs, for example. I’ve heard that if each household in the US changed just ONE incandescent bulb to compact flourescent, the US would save enought energy to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island combined. And because of that, they save money that can be spent on something else to increase your standard of living.

That’s just ONE benefit example. You want more? Think about how much cheaper health care might be if we didn’t have so many people in the emergency room for health problems that we would see less of if the world used fewer toxic products in manufacturing, cleaning, etc.

Green can only be good!

Namaste,
Andrew Hartley

Check out the Startup Nation “green business” forum by clicking here!