Shedding More Light on Fluorescent Bulbs

Did you know lighting costs can account for up to 10% of your electric bill? By replacing just one incandescent bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb, you can save $15 to $25 on your bill over the life of the bulb.

Efficient lighting also saves time and effort. For example, an average incandescent light bulb lasts only six months. But a compact fluorescent bulb can last up to six years. Imagine having to replace that hard-to-reach bulb only once every six years?

Compact fluorescent bulbs are available at specialty lighting stores and some home centers. They cost between $10 and $20.

For home use, they have a warm color, but not as warm as that of an incandescent bulb. In general, they will not fit a table lamp as they are too wide. Halogens are a good compromise for table or floor lamps. They cost about $3 but have considerably longer life than regular bulbs.

All fluorescents flicker. Jack Brautigam, energy specialist with the Washington Energy Extension Services, says, however, that the flicker can be eliminated by installing an electronic ballast in the light.

Windows Don’t Hurt Mechanical Ventilation

Q: Our new home has a mechanical ventilation system that is designed to maintain good indoor air quality all year. It seems to work fine, but sometimes we like to open up the windows at night to let the house cool down. This seems to work well. We have also learned to open up the windows when there is a breeze. Are we creating any problems with our mechanical ventilation system when we do this?

A: No. In fact what you’ve been doing sounds excellent! You can enhance the quality of your indoor air by taking advantage of the opportunities to ventilate naturally whenever they occur. We all know that ventilation is simply the exchange of indoor air for outdoor air. A certain amount of ventilation is necessary to replace stale and polluted indoor air with fresher outdoor air.

Natural ventilation occurs when natural forces of wind and temperature-difference force an air exchange to happen. Sometimes there are not enough natural forces available to provide the necessary ventilation. Fans can then be used to provide mechanical ventilation. Your bath and kitchen exhaust fans are good examples of mechanical ventilation. When you turn them on, stale indoor air is blown outside and outdoor air is sucked into the house through holes and cracks, replacing the removed air.

But fresh breezes, especially during and after a rainfall, can give your home large gulps of cleaner, fresher air in a very short time. Open the windows both upwind and downwind to create a breeze through your home. Also, if you can safely keep some windows open all night, you will be able to both cool and ventilate your home naturally. Under these conditions natural ventilation can often outperform your mechanical ventilation system.

Unfortunately for most homes, natural ventilation cannot be relied upon to provide adequate ventilation consistently at all times of the year. A properly designed and installed mechanical ventilation system is needed to provide you with consistent removal of stale air and supply of fresh air every day of the year. In some cases it can also provide effective filtration of dust and pollens.

You may wish to adjust your mechanical ventilation system’s automatic control timer so that it is turned off during longer periods of natural ventilation, for example, when you open windows at night during the summer. This will reduce the fan’s operating time, providing a very small energy saving and extending the fan’s service life.

Produced by the Energy Extension Service, a division of the Washington State Energy Office.