Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) save you money and energy. CFLs initially cost slightly more than incandescent bulbs, but you save money in the end. This is because CFLs use one quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs, and they last up to 10 times longer than incandescents. Click the images below for more information.

                                
             Savings              Types of CFLs          Break a CFL?            Free CFLs

Back to Green Purchasing Home

Monetary and Environmental Savings

An average of $30 in electricity costs is saved over a CFL’s lifetime. If every American household switched one incandescent bulb to a CFL, more than $600 million in energy costs would be saved in one year. The energy saved would be enough to power three million houses for a year. Greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented as well, the equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road for a year.

What kind of CFL should I use?

A variety of CFL styles is available, so you can be sure to find one that suits your needs. Please see the Energy Star CFL guide for help in choosing the right CFL for your needs. CFLs can be purchased at a number of stores in Athens, including C&E Hardware, Kroger, CVS, Lowe’s, and Walmart.

What if I break a CFL?

CFLs contain about five milligrams of mercury on average, and it is important to be cautious when handling the bulbs. If a CFL breaks, do not vacuum the pieces. First, open the windows in the room and place a fan in the window to blow the air out. Leave the room for 15 minutes. After returning, put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves and use a stiff piece of cardboard to scrape the scraps into a plastic bag. Use duct tape to pick up the small pieces. Once everything is in the bag, place the bag into a second plastic bag and tie shut. To dispose, call Campus Recycling at (740) 593-0231.

Free CFLs

The Office of Sustainability supplies free CFLs in exchange for incandescent bulbs to interested students and members of the Ohio University community. As of June 2008 1,055 incandescent light bulbs have been replaced by CFLs. Thanks to this simple switch Ohio University will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save $31,650 in electricity costs ($30 per bulb) over the next 10 years. Are you interested in free CFLs? Contact Sonia Marcus, Sustainability Coordinator, at marcuss@ohio.edu.

Back to Top
Office Supplies
Paper
Green Purchasing Resources
Green Purchasing Home