GreenYour.com

According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), lighting accounts for about 22 percent of the electricity used in the United States.[1] This adds up to about $55 billion worth of electricity, roughly the equivalent to the output of 100 large power plants emitting 450 million tons of carbon dioxide and 3 million tons of smog-generating nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide.[2]

Lighting-related financial costs and environmental pollution is largely due to the inefficiency of incandescent bulbs, which uses energy to give off only 10 percent light and 90 percent heat.[3] The heat given off by these lights results in the greater need for fans or air conditioners, thus increasing the electricity load even furter.[4] Additional energy drains come from the inefficient use of lights. Overhead lighting and fixtures left on in unoccupied spaces consumes electricity unnecessarily.

With the rising costs of energy, and the fact that energy used in the average home is responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of most cars, more and more consumers are looking for ways to save both money and energy.[5] The rise in popularity of CFL bulbs and the praise heaped on LED technology may mean the end of incandescent lighting as we know it. US electricity use from lighting could be halved if every household swapped its most often-used incandescent bulbs with CFLs.[6]

Controversy: CFL bulbs and mercury

Many have criticized CFLs for their mercury content, claiming that they're really not a good environmental alternative lighting solution since they contribute to mercury poisoning. According to ENERGY STAR, CFLs are safe to use in the home. They contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing—an average of 5 milligrams (roughly equivalent to the tip of a ball-point pen). By comparison, traditional thermometers contain 500 milligrams of mercury—more than 100 times the amount in one CFL.[7] Dental fillings often content 60-200 time more mercury than a CFL, and watch batteries five times more.[8]

In response, some companies, such as Philips and Walmart, have vowed to make very low mercury content and mercury-free CFL bulbs. But environmentalists maintain that even with the small amount of mercury contained in CFLs, the environmental impact of these bulbs is far less than incandescents. This is especially true since CFLs avoid the mercury-laden coal-fired power plant emissions by working more efficiently. In fact, Noah Horowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains that "the energy savings delivered through the use of CFLs will actually reduce more mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants than is added through manufacture of the bulbs."[9]

Glossary

• mercury: Found in many CFL bulbs, mercury can accumulate in tissue and may cause brain and kidney damage, especially in children.

External links

• Earth 911 - Household Lighting
• Eartheasy - Energy Efficient Lighting
• Green Consumer Guide - Lighting
• TreeHugger - How to Green Your Lighting
• US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: Lighting