Living Room

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs | Television | Vacuum Cleaner

Energy Usage Chart

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

Energy Saving Tip:
Where possible, replace standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Replacing one 75-watt bulb with an 18-watt compact fluorescent that is used four hours per day can save $7 dollars per year in electricity.

Operating Expense:
Lighting accounts for 5-10% of total energy use in the average American home – that’s about $50 to $150 per year in electricity. Compact fluorescent bulbs produce a similar amount of light, but they use 75% less electricity and last 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs!

Buying Tips:
There are three basic types of compact fluorescent lights:

A Single Unit is discarded when the lamp burns out; these come in various models, including U-shaped tubes, decorative globular, outdoor flood and reflector bulbs designed for recessed lighting fixtures.

Packaged Kits consist of a lamp, adapter and diffuser; with this type of installation, only the lamp needs to be replaced when it burns out.

Circular Units fit portable lamps and ceiling fixtures.

When purchasing compact fluorescents, keep in mind that a 13-watt to 27-watt compact fluorescent lamp is equivalent to a 60- to 100-watt incandescent bulb. The type and size compact fluorescent bulb required will depend on the amount of light required and the fixture in which it will be installed. For maximum savings, install compact fluorescent bulbs in fixtures you use the most often.

Television

Never miss a favorite show? That’s OK. It only costs you about 1 1/2 cents to watch a color TV for an hour.

Energy Tip: Turn the TV off when you're not in the room.

Vacuum Cleaner

Hate housecleaning? At least it doesn't cost much to vacuum – only about 6.3 cents per hour.

Energy Tip: Increase your vacuum's performance by emptying the bag frequently.