Information provided by Houston Handyman Services. This information is being provided as an educational tool for customers on upgrading to the new compact fluorescent light bulbs. If you have any questions, return to my main page and email me.
The next time you need to buy light bulbs for your home, take a moment to look at the variety of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFBs) available – your electric bill will thank you for it!.

Two significant advantages:

  • CFBs use 75 percent less energy to produce the same amount of light. An 18-watt CFB can replace a 100-watt incandescent.
  • They last ten times longer. The life of a CFB is up to 10,000 per bulb, compared to less than 1,000 hours for an incandescent.
  • Compact fluorescents are more expensive to purchase ($3-$10 per bulb), but keep in mind that they can pay for themselves in energy savings in about two years - and they'll last for two more years!

    For example, if you replace one 60-watt incandescent with a 15-watt fluorescent and use it six hours a day, you could see an energy savings of more than $40 over the four-year life of the bulb.

    You'll also save on the cost of purchasing at least eight incandescent bulbs during that time, and numerous trips to the store - and that's just one fixture!

    Making the switch:
    A general rule when buying CFBs is to choose a wattage that's about one-third of what you usually buy. The table below shows some typical wattage conversions:

  • 25-watt incandescent = 7-watt compact fluorescent
  • 40-watt incandescent = 11-watt compact fluorescent
  • 60-watt incandescent = 15-watt compact fluorescent 75+-watt incandescent = 18-watt compact fluorescent
    If you’re worried about buzzing and flickering problems common with fluorescent tube lights, worry no more – modern compact fluorescent bulbs use electronic ballasts that eliminate those annoyances.

    CFBs are available in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, so you should have no problems finding bulbs to fit any fixture in your home. If you have a unique or unusually-shaped lamp or fixture, take the existing bulb along to the store to compare sizes.

    NOTE: Compact fluorescent bulbs do contain a small amount of mercury and should not be thrown in the trash. Contact your local waste management agency to find out how dispose of them properly. Learn more about proper disposal of CFBs.

    Getting the most for your money:
    Install CFBs in hard-to-reach areas, such as hallways, closets, vaulted ceilings, etc. You won't have to climb a ladder again for years!
    Most CFBs are rated for outdoor use, but read the package carefully to make sure.
    CFBs can be used with times, motion detectors, photocells and occupancy sensors. If you need to use a dimmer switch, look for a CFB designed specifically for dimming.
    You can use CFBs to replace bulbs in many halogen lamps, which will save energy and greatly reduce the risk of fire.

    Did you know?
    If every American family switched to CFBs, we could save 31.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year - enough to light about one third of all U.S. households for an entire year!

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