Using Bright Effects Is A Brilliant Idea By Alexsandralyn on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
I'm nowhere near as green as I am frugal, and I just won't spend the extra money to save energy if it's going to save me money to spend the extra energy. Make sense?
And these new-fangled flourescent light bulbs have just been too expensive for me to get over the cost barrier of them. Four dollars for one light bulb when I can buy 4 light bulbs for $2? Are they kidding me? Lowe's must have been listening to my thoughts because they put these 60 watt replacement Bright Effects 13 watt Mini Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs on sale last fall for the unheard of price of $1 apiece, limit 4 to a household if you could get there before they all sold out that week. Alright, now that price is a lot more reasonable, and I picked up 4 of those Bright Effects 13 watt Mini Compact Fluorescent light bulbs the same day the sale flyer came out so I could try them out at home.
I like these new light bulbs. The Bright Effects Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL) seems just a little brighter and whiter to read by than my standard 60 watt GE soft white incandescent light bulbs even though the actual lumens output is slightly less, only 800 lumens for the CFL versus 820 lumens for the incandescent. One thing I've noticed is that it takes a second for the Bright Effects Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb to turn "on" when I've flipped the table lamp switch, but there's no strobe light flickering involved like there is with the old overhead flourescent tube lights.
The GE 60 watt soft white incandescent light bulb promises to last for 1,500 hours, and they usually cost me $0.50 each when I buy them on sale. The 60 watt replacement Bright Effects 13 watt Mini Compact Flourescent Light bulb promises to last for 8,000 hours, and I was only lucky that I could pick up a $4.48 light bulb for only $1 that day because those sales aren't normal around here. So I would need to buy a little over 5 GE 60 watt soft white light bulbs for the same lasting power of one Bright Effects 13 watt Mini CFL bulb. If I can't find the GE 60 watt soft white light bulbs on sale for less than $3.58 for a package of 4, then the full price of a Bright Effects CFL is a better buy based solely on its lasting power.
What about these claims of huge energy savings? The Bright Effects package claims that you can save $45 per bulb in energy costs, but the savings calculation is based on $0.12 per kilowatt hour, and I'm not paying anywhere near that much for my electricity right now. But it should be easy enough for me to figure out how much I'm actually going to be saving here. A kilowatt hour is 1,000 watt hours. A 60 watt bulb that burns for 1,000 hours is using 60 kWh, and if it burns for 8,000 hours, then it is using 480 kWh. To compare, a 13 watt bulb that burns for 1,000 hours is using 13 kWh, and if it burns for 8,000 hours, then it is using 104 kWh. My electric company is currently charging me $0.0768 per kilowatt hour.
Bright Effects 13 watt = 104 kWh * .0768 per kWh = $7.99 in overall electricity cost for 8,000 hours of use
GE 60 watt = 480 kWh * .0768 per kWh = $36.86 in overall electricity cost for 8,000 hours of use
Clearly, the 60 watt replacement Bright Effects 13 watt Mini Compact Fluorescent Light bulb is going to result in an energy savings of at least $28.87 per light bulb in my own household, which makes switching to the Bright Effects light bulb into a brilliant idea that is both green and frugal.
About The Author:
Bright Effects 13-Watt Mini Compact Fluorescent Bulb Purchased at: Lowe's Price: $4.48
I am frugal too. That is why I went with the strange lights too. :-)
We have switched to compact fluorescents in most of our fixtures. They last an average of 2 years for us, and the convenience of not having to change those ceiling fixtures every couple of months is, by itself, enough reason to make it good. But I know they save money for us just because they last so much longer. Haven't compared the energy use.
I agree Alexsandra. I've been using the new bulbs for 3 years now and will not go back to incandescent lighting. I found places online that I can order the bulbs by the dozen for around $26.00. If I can't find them in town cheaper I buy by the case and save much more in the long run.
These bulbs have come a long way, they are now much brighter than they used to be and come in all shapes and sizes. You can use them in spotlights, floods, etc. They even have round bulbs for bathroom lighting as well. I work for an energy consulting firm and can vouch for the fact that they save you lots on your energy bills.
I'm amazed at your calculations and convinced that the energy saving bulbs are the way to go!
geez, you lost me with the math!
these type of lights really do save more in the long run. the ones i bought that looks just like these are suppose to at least last 7 years and reduce the electric bill every month.
I have the lamp like this. And it called tornado type. I will post it soon.
We have these throughout our house and even changed out our 2 lights by the garage outside. They do take about 30 seconds or so to hit maximum brightness but they are extremely economical.
I LOVE these! And they last longer than normal bulbs!