Save Money on Light Bulbs
- Which type of light bulb is the most cost-effective?
- Comparing Incandescent and CFL light bulbs
- Cost of Standard Incandescent Light bulbs
- Cost of Compact Fluorescent CFL Light Bulbs
Which type of light bulb is the most cost-effective?
Comparing Incandescent and CFL light bulbs
Before I get started, I’m certain many people are going to be wondering, “What about LED lighting?” I think LED lighting has a “bright” future. Up until recently, problems with LED lighting has been in cost of the light bulb and extremely low lumens (the actual amount of light the LED light bulbs emit). There are some innovations with LED lighting that should make a difference. In a few years time, the only suggestion anyone will make when it comes to lighting will be LEDs. But, in my opinion, they’re not quite there yet — I fear many people who would run out to get a LED light would be put-off by how little light they actually emit at this current time. In the meantime, Compact Fluorescent Lights (or CFLs) are a great alternative until you see a higher-lumens LED light available.
Cost of Standard Incandescent Light bulbs
A 60 watt incandescent light bulb has an average lifespan of 1300 hours. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to average hours out to 8000 — which is the length of time that a CFL light will last on average. 8000 hours is almost 1 year of continual use (333 days). Over a span of 8000 hours you will burn through a little more than 6 incandescent light bulbs. At an average cost of 35 cents per bulb, this would cost $2.10. At 60 watts an hour, 8000 hours would equal 480,000 watts, or 480 kilowatts. Assuming an average cost of electricity at 15 cents per kilowatt hour, this light bulb will cost $72 to operate over a span of 8000 hours. Adding in the cost of the bulbs, incandescent lights would cost approximately $74.10 to operate.
Cost of Compact Fluorescent CFL Light Bulbs
CFL light bulbs can have an average lifespan of 8000 hours. Prices vary, but CFL light bulbs can be purchased for approximately $1.25. The watt per hour of a CFL is around 13 watts per hour. Over 8000 hours, a CFL would consume around 104,000 watts.
This is only about 21% of the power consumed by an incandescent light bulb. You could literally run about 5 CFL light bulbs for the cost of just 1 incandescent. Assuming 15 cents per kW h, a CFL would take around $15.60 to power for 8000 hours. Add this to the $1.25 the light bulbs costs, the total cost of operating a compact fluorescent light bulb for 8000 hours would be $16.85.
The light bulb you should be using is obvious. The whole premise of this website is to show you how you can make an impact for our environment and save money. For the cost of a light bulb in just one room for a year’s worth of use, you will save at least $57.23. You will also save around 376 kilowatts of power. What about a whole home full of lights? This could easily add up to hundreds of dollars saved a year.
