Most people think if you put a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) into a light fixture, you will automatically save money. This is not true! And I'm here to tell you why.
CFLs are the screw-in fluorescent lights. They can screw into a regular lightbulb base, and they work just like a fluorescent light. That is, they use a burst of energy when you first turn them on, so you don't start saving money until they have been on for 15 minutes. But after they are turned on, they start daintily sipping electricity. What this means is you should only use CFLs (or any fluorescent) in an area where the lights are on for 15 minutes or more. Good places for CFLs are: living rooms, kitchens, porch lights, yard lights. Bad places, where lights are turned on for a short time then turned off are: bathrooms, bedrooms and halls. Know where CFLs work best is the key to saving money.
"This isn't printed on the packaging or part of their 'advertisements'."
Of course it isn't. If it was, it would cause a few people to be confused and not buy the bulb. The CFL companies want to milk the "green cow" for all it's worth. But you have to know how CFL's work to get the most from them.
"When I was in school a teacher said it was cheaper to leave the classroom lights on all day than to turn them off between classes."
Your teacher was correct. Even though we have CFLs that are "instant start" (they have electronic ballasts) they still use a large amount of energy to start up.
Just remember this: "In 15 minutes honey, we'll start saving money."
this isn't true according to 'a popular science based show on the discovery channel'. when tested they found that to reach its max wattage and then level off was barely a blink of an eye.
A quote from the above page: "When the lamp is off, the mercury/gas mixture is non-conductive. When power is first applied, a high voltage (several hundred volts) is needed to initiate the discharge. However, once this takes place, a much lower voltage - usually under 100 V for tubes under 30 watts, 100 to 175 volts for 30 watts or more - is needed to maintain it."
What this means: a lot of energy is required to start the light, but very little is required to keep it lit.
When I was in school a teacher said it was cheaper to leave the classroom lights on all day than to turn them off between classes. It is good to know the 'why' behind this. Thank you.
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