Have you noticed a difference with your bill by changing to energy smart bulbs?

Question

Energy smart bulbs are the spiral compact fluorescent ones. I have been wanting to try them out because I know they do last longer and save you money on your utility bill but they are so much more in price compared to a regular pack of bulbs that I hate to do it for no reason.

Answer 1

Yes, I have I switched 9 bulbs out and did some other Energy saving things and noticed my electric bill went from $114.00 to about $75..

I also unplugged any appliance I wasn't using or put the ones I do use on power strips- to make it easier to turn on/offf

I do most of my laundry in the evening after 9pm and use mostly cold water except for sheets/towels/whites

I also hang most of our clothes and use the dryer for full loads only

I run my dishwasher on time delay so it runs around 4am the water is hot and everyone is sleeping.. Full loads only

I use the ceiling fans along with my A/C to circulate the cool air

These things work... Take care

Answer 2

Yes there is a significant savings, do but how much you will save depends on what pecentage of your electrical use is for lighting.

Replacing a 60 watt incandescent with a 14 watt flourescent gives you approximately the same level of lighting and a bit more than 75% reduction in electrical use.

The first bulbs to replace are the ones that are on the most amount of time per day. Replacing the closet light you use 5 minutes a day won't really save you much, but in the long run it will pay for itself.

If you live in a hot climate, changing out the bulbs will also be reducing the amount of heat generated by lighting and that means your AC will spend less time running to remove the heat they are introducing into your home. Figure every incandescent lamp is a small heater, most people don't realize they are pumping hundreds or thousands of watts of heat into their homes and then having to pay again to remove it.

The prices for bulbs are all over the board, shop around you can get decent multipacks at Home Depot and Costco fairly cheap, If you don't shop around, you could end up paying 4 - 5 times as much, especially if you buy them one at a a time in individual packages from stores that don't buy/sell them in volume. In some areas utility companies will offer rebates, since not having to generate electricity saves them money too.

The bulbs usually come with warranties, I've found that some will fail in the first year so it's good to keep the packaging and receipts in case you need to return them.

They don't work on dimmer circuits keep that in mind