Summer is upon us. And for many folks, that means astronomical power bills. In Arizona, it’s not uncommmon to run up a $200 power bill during the summer months. Keeping your AC on 24 hours a day is expensive, ya’ll! That’s why I’ll be offering some tips and tricks this week to keep your electric bill from breaking the bank. Wouldn’t you rather spend money on a tasty backyard BBQ, rather than handing all your hard-earned cash to the electric company?

Last Fall I offered Queercents readers 4 simple steps to reduce your electric bill: unplug appliances that aren’t in use, use CFL bulbs, opt for energy-efficient appliances, and watch your thermostat. The tip about CFL bulbs created quite a controversy when I reposted the story over at Bilerico. The discussion focused on the question of the actually efficiency and life span of a CFL bulb. So I did a little research. And here’s what I found about those trendy light bulbs.

The general pros and cons of CFL bulbs is summed up rather nicely on Wikipedia:

Compared to general service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs generally use less power, have a longer rated life, but a higher purchase price. In the United States, a CFL can save over US $30 in electricity costs over the lamp’s life time compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2,000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases. Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain mercury, which complicates their disposal.

If you’re interested in reading more about CFL bulbs, I really recommend the rest of the Wikipedia article. For those who aren’t interested, I’ll spare you the details. In a nutshell, using CFL bulbs can reduce your electric bill because they are more efficient than incandescent light bulbs. The cost per bulb is higher than the incandescent light bulb, but you will save money in the long run by purchasing fewer total light bulbs.

CFL bulbs are also good for the environment. They reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some critics have said that CFLs are actually bad for the environment because they contain mercury. However, with proper disposal, CFL bulbs put a lower amount of mercury into the landfills than incandescent bulbs by reducing the total number of light bulbs used. CFL bulbs can even be recycled. Check out the government’s Energy Star website for more info.

Making the switch to CFL bulbs may seem counter-intuitive when you’re trying to reduce your expenses. Why spend $5 on a single light bulb if you could get 4 incandescent bulbs at the dollar store? In this instance, I say that going green will save you some green. Try to plan ahead by buying CFL bulbs in bulk so that you have them on hand when bulbs need to be replaced. And make the transition gradually. We’ve slowly been switching over to CFL bulbs in our house. We just wait until an incandescent bulb has burned out before we replace it. Why throw a good bulb in the trash (and put mercury into the environment)? That seems like a big big waste of money to me.

Tomorrow I’m going to delve into the world of basic home repairs. No, I don’t mean I’m strapping on a tool belt. That’s not my job. But I’ll definitely be writing up a to do list for someone else in my house. You didn’t actually think I was the home repair type, did you?

How about you? Do you have any other tips for getting the most bang for your buck out of a CFL bulbs?

Photo credit: stock.xchg