Energy Efficient Light Bulbs – Do they REALLY Save Money?

How Much Do Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Save?

 

energy efficient light bullbs varietiesYou’re standing in the light bulb aisle at your local hardware store, facing both a dizzying array of lighting options and the decision about which bulbs to purchase for your home or office.

(What happened to my 100W light bulb?)

You know that energy-efficient light bulbs will burn less energy, but is it enough less to justify the extra price?

How much do those energy efficient light bulbs really save?

The answer is, it depends.

But potentially, they save a lot, compared to the price of the bulb.

The two most common types of household energy efficient light bulbs are

  • compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and
  • light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs).

For simplicity’s sake, let’s just compare these types of bulbs with the standard, old-fashioned incandescent bulb.

1. Cost

experiment with energy efficient light bulbs
Experiment with different energy efficient light bulbs

First, we need to determine the cost of the bulbs.

According to the Energy Star website, the average price of an LED bulb is $10, a CFL will run you about $3 and a standard incandescent only about $0.40.

But before you laugh and walk off with your incandescent bulb, shaking your head at the ridiculous cost of energy-efficient lighting, consider this:


CFL bulbs last 10 times longer, and LEDs last a whopping 25 times longer than standard incandescents.

So rather than walking off with one standard bulb, to make a fair comparison you’d have to walk away with 25 — if you could even carry them all at once.

And no matter which kind of bulb you chose you’d fork over about the same amount at the checkout.

2. Time

Now, let’s take it a step further, and consider what that means in real life.

For the same price, you will have to change your incandescent bulb 25 times, versus only one to three for an energy efficient light bulb. How much is your time worth?

Even if it only takes you five minutes to locate a bulb and change it, multiply it by 25 times and that’s more than two hours of your valuable time.

Suddenly, those incandescents don’t seem so cheap anymore, do they?

3. Energy / Running Cost

Energy efficient light bulbs cost little to runNext, let’s take a look at the cost of using energy efficient light bulbs vs. incandescent bulbs.

Both CFLs and LEDs consume about 75 percent less energy than standard bulbs for equivalent illumination. (LEDs are more efficient than CFL bulbs).

Energy Star estimates that each energy-efficient bulb will save an average of about $6 per year, or between $40 and $135 over the lifetime of the bulb.

To take it further, if every home in America replaced just one standard bulb with an energy efficient light bulb, we’d collectively save over $680 million — enough to light more than 3 million homes for an entire year!

Kind of puts the purchase price in perspective, doesn’t it?

4. Environmental Cost

Now, just in case you’re not yet convinced, let’s consider one final cost of light bulbs: their cost to the environment.

Energy efficient light bulbs are kind to the environmentFirst of all, there’s the environmental cost of manufacturing, transporting and disposing of the bulbs themselves.

According to U.S. government research, there is little difference in impact between bulb types in this respect. So, given the expected life span of the bulbs, standard bulbs have about 10 times the footprint of a CFL and 25 times that of an LED, more or less.

However, by far the biggest impact a bulb has on the environment is the energy it burns, and the amount of carbon dioxide and other unwelcome elements released into the atmosphere as a result.

Remember the $680 million saved by every household switching just one bulb to an Energy Star one? Well, doing so would also keep as much greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere as 800,000 cars emit in a year!

5. Mercury

One last thing: let’s talk about mercury.

Proponents of standard incandescents like to point out the fact that CFL bulbs contain mercury, which is a serious surface water pollutant that damages lakes and streams and renders fish toxic.

While it’s true that CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury, it’s important to look at the whole picture. By far the biggest source of mercury in the environment is the burning of coal to make electricity.

When you take into account the far greater amount of electricity incandescent bulbs burn, it turns out that incandescents are twice as mercury-intensive as CFLs!

Dramatic kitchen with energy efficient light bulbs
Dramatic kitchen with energy efficient light bulbs (credit: Slodive)

6. The Real Savings

So, returning to that light bulb aisle, let’s add up the real costs and the real savings of energy efficient bulbs.

Purchase price: about the same
Cost of operation: An energy efficient light bulb will save you $40 or more over its lifetime
Cost to the planet: 75% less greenhouse gas emissions, and about 50% less mercury

 

Wouldn’t you say the choice is clear?

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This was a Guest Post by Stuart Simpson, the marketing director at Lightbulb Wholesaler, America’s leading wholesale distributor of light bulbs & ballasts. Lightbulb Wholesaler brings more than 35 years of experience in the lighting industry.

Wan to know more?   Look at these Bedroom Lighting Ideas.  See these EcoExpert Tips on home lighting with LEDs.  Want a gorgeous kitchen? See how energy efficient lighting is cool for kitchens!


Tags

CFL, cost of energy efficient light bulbs, energy efficient light bulbs, LED


  • Clare, I enjoyed this approach to looking at the differences between the light bulbs. I have been switching out all the light bulbs in my house with LEDs. I have a whole box of incandescent bulbs that rather than pass on to someone I’ve decided to simply drop off at a recycling drop off. My plan is to add solar panels to my home and by switching out the bulbs now it will not only save me money, save the environment but save on the number of panels I’ll need to power my home. It’s time we all stopped looking at the initial costs and looked a bit more to the long term effects. Thanks for a great post.

    • Hi Lois, thank you, I’m glad you liked the post. I’m delighted to read about your incandescent, LED and solar panel actions – that’s very cool. Of course you’re absolutely right about LEDs reducing the number of panels you’ll need, and you make an absolutely valid point about needing to stop focusing on initial costs and look long term. We won’t have much of a long term anything if we don’t start changing now. Thanks!

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