What you are describing sounds like the old-fashioned fluorescent tubes, rather than the newer CFL's. I have CFL's in several overhead fixtures and lamps, and mine do come on when I flip the switch. They get a little brighter over the next few minutes, but they do come on instantly with enough light to see. Another advantage - my ceiling fixtures warn against using a bulb over 60 watts - with CFL's, I get light equivalent to a standard 100 watt bulb from a 23 watt CFL. The mercury in a CFL is less than half the amount of mercury that would be produced by a power plant to generate the additional electricity for an incandescent bulb. The mercury in the CFL is contained so long as the bulb is not broken, and the CFL can be recycled, so the mercury does not get into the environment. Even if the CFL is thrown in the trash and goes to the landfill, the impact is still less than the mercury emitted by power plants, which cannot be contained.
i have the screw in CFL bulbs, like i said maybe i have some bad bulbs ( i only have 2 ) i might give CFL's another chance
my lowest was 4x.xx, the month we bought the house, but it was empty for half of that month. my highest has been ~ 160.00
You have a family of four living in your house, I just have me & my brother. So you have more laundry, showers, etc. My stove, fridge, & dryer are energy star, and if the old washing machine ever wears out, its replacement will be, too. I always turn out lights when I leave a room; I have replaced most of my light bulbs with CFL's; I turn off the power to electronics when not in use; I use ceiling fans and set the AC for 80 degrees. I do use my dishwasher, but I keep the heated drying turned off. I'm thinking about putting up a clothesline. Oh, and I think I'll wrap my water heater with insulation, too.
I am not going to compromise on my a/c, lol, there is no way I'd keep it set at 80. We do a lot of that stuff too. DH has replaced all our bulbs with something, don't know what. Someone told him it would make the electric bill go down. We probably do 5 loads of laundry a week, and there are at least 3 showers a day (the baby doesn't require much water, so I don't count her). Well you go girl, that's pretty darn awesome!
Most of you know that we are major misers when it comes to the (waste) use of power in the house. We are a family of 3, do a ton of laundry on a vintage Maytag washer & line dry everything always. (4 large loads today). I turn off everything & unplug the rest when I can. It has made a huge difference in the amounts of $$$$ we save and can use elsewhere!
I got another one: If you are a big movie buff then subscribe to netflix or blockbuster's DVD-in-the-mail service. Netflix has supercheap plans and I have never had a bad experience with them. I haven't driven to rent a movie in years. Imagine if everyone did this, how many cars would be taken off the road.
Found it...Sam's Club has one. Knew I saw one somewhere. Also CFL lightbulbs 8 for $10.50. Not too shabby.
at sams club? i am not a member at sams but i am a member at bj's, i wonder if they have them as well
Purchase the "green credits" of an African tribesman named Bowawba and then pollute your @ss off. Fly in private jets, have a $10,000 electric bill, and ride in limousines. That's what Al Gore does. Who gives a damn as long as you have enough money and Michael Moore likes you?
You still have absolutely NO concept of how green credits work. Between this post and your post about paying more/less at WalMart, you seem to be on a tight budget. Most of us are and we feel for you. However, that doesn't stop many of us from being socially responsible when it comes to the global economy and the environment. Budget or not, I can afford an $8 monthly tax deductible donation to support the development of green power where it is available and viable. I can also afford the extra $2.00 for a garden hose at Lowe's instead of WalMart if it means it is made in America and not by a 9 year chinese girl with bloody thumbs from working in a factory all day. Money well spent. The money you save may allow you to buy a little more beer on the weekend, but it is essentially a mortgage on the overall health of our world. The price you pay for convenience will evenatually come back at a premium, if not for you then for your children and their children as well.
First off, I am doing my part to help the environment. Now tell me how driving extra miles and using more gas to shop in Clayton or Garner is helping the environment. The farther you drive the more gas you use and the more pollution you spew into the air, right? You give $8.00 a month to our government (which has a long and glorious track record of fiscal responsibility :roll but yet you won't try and conserve your driving habits? How is that being socially responsible? Again I say, you buy those "green credits" to clear your conscience while you waste natural resources and pollute the air. You are doing the same thing that limousine liberals do, albeit on a much smaller scale. Personally, I think that YOU are the one being irresponsible with our future. Second, how do you know that the garden hose at Wal-Mart is being made by 9 year old Chinese girls and the one at Lowe's isn't? Okay, so you don't like Wal-Mart and that's your perogative. I don't like Home Depot and don't shop there. To each his own. As far as that rude beer comment goes, you should know that I contribute $25.00 a month to a children's fund to help kids in poverty overseas. It's run by a church organization we belong to and I trust them a hell of a lot more than i trust our government. As far as what I do with the remainder of my moeny that's my business. I work one full time and two part time jobs and work my @ss off at two of them. If I want to drink a few beers on the weekend then I damn well earned them!
Oh enough already! The $8 goes to NC Green Power which is a non-profit organization that works with Duke and Progress Energy - not the government. Again, you have no idea how these work do you? You have clearly demonstrated that you do not. It is not a guilt thing. It is because I cannot partake in renewable energy myself because it is not feasible here and the local utility does not provide it. So I support renewable energy development where it is feasible thereby increasing its reach and advancement. The $8 is tax deductible, maybe that is where you misunderstood the government's role. They actually pay me to make this contribution. I drive a car that gets 41 mpg and I carpool with my wife 5 days a week. Responsible enough for you? I give the $8 to NCGreen Power in addition to that to help offset my power consumption in the home. Most products have a "Made in _______" Sticker or raised lettering that tells you where it is made. As for the 9 year old girl, it is a metaphor for child labor. WalMart is notorious for buying cheap crap from China and contributing to the trade deficit. Again, the beer was a metaphor. I too enjoy certain indulgences from time to time. The government has nothing to do with it, but nonetheless I wouldn't trust a church anymore than I do the government. I can drive over to the solar plant, methane recovery plant, etc. to actually see my money put to use. Have you met your little Ndugu yet? It is admirable that you work three jobs to support yourself/family. I think it is funny that you work three jobs and only work you @ss off at two of them. "Those who trumpet their sorrows are usually most deserving of them" - GWAR
