Making the switch is a bright idea
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Seth decided it was time to make the change to a more energy efficient form of light. Illustrated by Mike McRae |
Imagine going to the cinema and buying a cheap ticket to watch one and a half hours of advertisements followed by a ten minute movie. How happy would you be? I’m sure you’d think you were being ripped off, even though the tickets were cheap. Many people are beginning to realise that incandescent light bulbs aren’t all that different.
Incandescent light bulbs haven’t changed much since Thomas Edison first experimented with burning a tungsten wire inside a vacuum over a century ago. To produce their light, traditional light bulbs have to push electricity through a thin metal filament, turning the electrical energy into heat and light. The problem is, while we need their bright glow to see by, 90 per cent of the energy that goes into the light bulb comes away as useless heat.
Currently, there are a staggering 200 million incandescent bulbs installed in Australian homes and businesses. However, the familiar old pear-shaped globe will become a thing of the past as the Australian Government begins phasing them out. If your incandescent bulb flickers its last spark after November this year, you will need to choose from a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), a light emitting diode (LED) or a halogen light to replace it.
Lighting represents roughly 12 per cent of our household greenhouse gas emissions, and about a quarter of those are from commercial buildings. Since CFLs use 80 per cent less electricity, less fossil fuel needs to be burned. The change could be the equivalent of more than half a million cars being taken off the roads.
Being sustainable doesn’t always mean paying more. While incandescent bulbs are cheaper, they burn out after 1000 hours. Compare that with the 10 000 hours of your average CFL, as well as the reduction in your electricity bill, making the switch seems like a smart investment. LED lights have even more impressive figures. Who knows, you might even save enough to buy an extra-large box of popcorn next time you see a movie at the cinema.
