Obvious Diversion

I like the look of old-school incandescent bulbs, so I’ve always had a hard time with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs.) They always seemed too harsh and white for my taste. That said, I’d rather use CFLs to save both money and energy, as well as reward smart engineering.

I Found a CFL That Doesn’t Suck

If you’re looking for a CFL that gives off light like your older incandescent bulbs, I recommend the n:vision Soft White. I’m using the 14 watt Soft White CFLs to replace 60 watt bulbs. They look great and they only cost me $2.50 each. I’m very pleased.

Where Can I Get Them?

Home Depot has them in four packs in-store for about $10 here in New York. Head to your local Home Depot and they’ll likely have them.

Home Depot doesn’t offer them online, but I believe that SpringLight Soft White is the same bulb in different packaging. Cost is slightly higher at $3.30 a bulb instead of $2.50 at Home Depot.

How Much Energy Will I Save?

I replaced 14 regular light bulbs with 10 CFLs while eliminating 4 bulbs that just weren’t needed.
The old bulbs: 14 x 60w = 840w
The new CFLs: 10 x 14w = 140w

I’ve eliminated 83% of the electricity used by my lighting.

How Much Money Will I Save?

Each bulb replaced will save me about $3 a year in electricity costs, so I’ll save about $30 a year, not including the other 4 bulbs I simply did away with. That also means that each bulb pays for itself in less than a year and every year after that is pure savings.

Give Me One Reason

There are so many reasons to replace your bulbs: save money, save energy, lower your impact on the environment, become more personally efficient, reward smart engineers.

Pick one reason, buy some bulbs, and then enjoy a nap.