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Making The Switch

Regular readers will know that I am against the idea of a new generation of nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else on the planet for that matter. I much prefer the option of putting as much spending into renewables as the govenment has ploughed into nuclear to make it work for us, now, and for the future.

But that is subject to be debated in another post, today I want to talk about energy saving. There are a number of simple changes we can make that will reduce the need for as many power stations, wind farms, or other electricity generating devices as we are predicting we are going to need. And no change so simple as switching over to low-energy lightbulbs.

For most of us, 30% of our electricity bill represents lighting our homes. Replacing all your bulbs with energy-saving bulbs means that you will be using 67% less energy for that portion of your bill, saving not just energy, but money too. And low-energy lightbulbs last 8 to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, meaning that they will show a return on investment of 1200% over their lifetime (based on an average price of £3 per lightbulb, and a saving per year of £6 on the average domestic electricity bill).

Environmental Defense, a US non-profit organisation dedicated to finding ways that work to protect the environment, tells us what a difference CFL (low-energy) bulbs make. If every household in the US changed three 60-watt lightbulbs to CFLs, it would be like taking 3.5 million cars off the roads! That is an incredible statistic, and they are inviting you to take a pledge to change at least one lightbulb in your home for one of the low-energy variety.

Have you thought about making the switch? You’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Via: icWales & Environmental Defense