Do energy saving light bulbs really save you a significant amount of energy and money?

I don't think so...they are dangerous..and you can't just throw them out....they contain mercury..

They only last 10 years if you only use them so much each day...but if you use them over four hours a day you will never get your money's worth out of it.

CF bulbs consume 75% of the electricity of incandescent bulbs although they do take a while to warm up and need more care in installing and everyday use to provide a lasting source of light. Due to their high initial cost of purchase and promise of long life, some up to eight years, they need to last as long to enable you to break even on your investment. Always buy the highest quality you can afford because the lower priced bulbs are not as efficient as the established brands and will not last very long or shall leak, which is quite dangerous are these bulbs contain quite a bit of mercury, which i understand is not particularly good for your health.

According to www.consumersearch.com;

In general a 15watt CFL will give the same amount of light as a 60watt incandescent bulb and many of the CFL's will last up to 10 times longer. I've found that cheaper bulbs tend to burn out faster than GE or Phillips. So in the long run you should save on energy and replacing bulbs.

Another consideration to saving both money and energy is replacing light fixtures I have 2 fixtures that have 6 candle bulbs and a spot light I will be replacing both of them with fixtures that take no more than 3 low energy bulbs. I have already replace 2 ceiling fans which had light kits that had 4 bulbs with a fan that has a light kit that takes a single energy saver bulb.

I only believe in using energy saving bulbs where the lights are left on for a long time such as a night light or even the living room light.

LED's are the way to go since they really save power last a ling time and are not dangerous to dispose of.

I used to work in a lighting store and the manager there said don't use energy savers in the bathroom, toilet or anywhere you flick switches on and off quickly because you can't save any money there, and you could reduce the life of the bulb. They should only be used in the rooms that the light is left on for many hours, such as the living room.

And use a soft tone one, not a bright white.

No - Since the bulbs cost many times the amount that regular bulbs, you need to run them for a long time to see any savings at all. And CF lights don't work for as long as real light bulbs either. CF lights start getting dim the first time they're turned on. After about 100 hours of operation you start to notice.

Plus the cost of the electrician to replace dimmer switches that don't work with CF lights make the cost prohibitive for most, especially those on fixed incomes.

And that's not even mentioning the steps one has to take if one of these bulbs are broken! All sales of these bulbs should be postponed until they are 100% free of toxic heavy metals.

Since lighting for most people is less than 10% of their power bill, you won't see much change if you do replace the bulbs. They will eventually pay for themselves though (2-3 years). If you can afford it, go for it.

The amount of mercury in one of these bulbs is less than 5 milligrams. It's not worth worrying about. Actually, in a landfill, the mercury gets tied up as mercuric sulfide, which is one of the most insoluble materials known. Don't not use the bulbs because you're worried about mercury.

DK

yes low energy bulbs will save you many pounds over the course of a year certainly more than the initial cost of the bulbs and they will last way longer than the conventional ones so you will save over a number of years

Yes, CFLs use about 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Over the lifetime of the bulb, the CFLs will save you money as compared to incandescents. Also, mercury in CFLs really isn't a concern. See the links below for details.

It will be a small amount of savings each month, which will eventually add up to exceed the purchase price of the bulb. You probably won't be able to tell by looking at your bill though.

they dont save alot on energy, but they are supposed to last 10 years, so in the long run you save on replacing bulbs