I was at the local Discount Drug Mart the other day. Something about this store is familiar, no matter when I go in. It is one of the few remaining places on earth where you can get sewing goods, canning supplies, groceries, drug store items, and RIT dye. So, as I am cruising to the check out, I spied an entire endcap of CFL bulbs. These two packs were on sale for $1! That’s just 50 cents a bulb folks. Using 75% less electricity than a conventional bulb, with little or no heat, this is a no brainer. I bought my limit of 3, even though I have a stock of them, because you cannot beat that price.
Upon closer inspection, I found these were bulbs from First Energy and it’s energy efficiency efforts. This was a public relations nightmare, regardless of the intentions. Apparently, we have a great loophole in our utilities laws. Rate increases have to be overseen and approved by the state. This keeps electric companies from strangle holding you with your electric bill. The loophole, though, is that you are paying for the energy separate from the cost to get the energy to you. The law allows utilities to raise rates to pay for loss of income from delivery fees when you use less energy. So, saving energy saves you less dollars than it should. So, when First Energy had to meet a mandated efficiency program, they decided to buy 3.25 million CFL bulbs and distribute them to their customers. They then raised the rates (I believe of just the delivery fees) to cover the costs. I call shenanigans on this type of lawmaking which allows utility companies to get around the laws that were put in place to protect consumers. Just as when cable companies were regulated, rather than raise rates, they made more channels premium to make you pay more per month.
I don’t know all the details of the First Energy mess, but apparently the Ohio governor had to get involved in the whole debacle. In the end, rather than hand delivering all these bulbs to individual First Energy (and it’s subsidiaries) customers, many ended up on the shelves at Marc’s, Discount Drug Mart, even Goodwill. All I know, is that I got my 6 bulbs, and I am set. Of course, I switched nearly every bulb in my house out to CFL’s a couple of years back and I have only had a single one burn out. I never miss the chance to take home a free bulb from Earth Day events, trade shows and the like. I will likely be set for the next decade! Now is a great time to star decreasing your electricity usage and get in on this great deal!
Unable to throw off the shackles of the cheap energy burning incandescent, the federal government has issued a mandate on electric light. There are new standards for power use that must be met by 2012. So more CFL’s, right. Maybe, but some light manufacturers are investing in finding ways to reinvent the incandescent. Currently, we already have the technology to make the Edison bulb more efficient. We can cut the energy use by an easy 20-30 % right now. Problem is, it comes with a hefty $5 a bulb price tag. Researchers are assuring everyone that they will be able to make a competitively priced incandescent available at a more reasonable price in the new future. In true American style, no one has put a driving force behind developing this technology until the new government mandates came out. I can’t help but wonder why we are so married to this bulb when there are so many other options available right now. On the other hand, innovation spurs technology and perhaps we will find new uses for the things we learn in this arena. The main issue with current incandescent s is the use of energy to create heat rather than light. That is why CFLs use so little energy and create so little heat-they are more efficient at light generation. The downside has always been the quality of the light. Some people just hate fluorescent light. Now however, there are so many options, I do not understand this argument. We are no longer married to the humming and flickering of the old florescent technology. We can now dim bulbs and improve the color. New shapes are making them suitable for chandeliers and open lights. They no longer take time to warm up and are reaching the price of a good incandescent.
Let’s not ignore the growing use of LED technology. The reason that we have not seen a faster growth in this area is a simple matter of components. To make LED bulbs you need things like sapphire (which is expensive) or gallium nitride (which is delicate, and has a high failure rate). This puts the cost of most LEDs out of reach for the average consumer. Even with a life span that can be 10X that of CFLs, even I am not likely to spend up to $100 for a light bulb. New materials are now being tested, however, that may bring the cost of LED bulbs more in line with CFLs. Now we are talking! The cool thing about this research is that it is closely married to the components used in computing. As we learn in one arena, it helps spur the research in the other. This means more research spead across the spectrum, promoting faster innovations and breakthroughs in both areas!
Recycling saves resources, energy and money. we genrate 4.5 pounds of trash every day, per person, on average. That is twice what we used in the 60′s. In the last 40 years, residential and commercial waste together has tripled. The recycling industry creates 1.1 million jobs in the US. Recycle your water bottles, about 80% end up in landfill. Better yet, buy a permanent water bottle and switch to tap-a third of water brands tested contained contaminants like arsenic and bottles themselves can leach chemicals. Buy items in aluminum cans. Recycling cans is cheaper and easier than plastics and recycled cans are back on the shelf in as little as 90 days. It takes 95% less energy to make a recycled aluminum can than from scratch. Buy products with recycled content. If every household switched to recycled napkins for one package, we would save a million trees a year.
