If you haven ‘t heard already, than you must literally be living under a rock, it saves money and energy to switch your light bulbs over to energy star compact florescent. I took this project underway a few years ago. There is some difference in lighting, but I am not too picky on things like this. I figure, if I can see, that is good enough for me. Some people are a little more picky I guess. My neighbor is one of them.

“I’m heading over to the supermarket to pickup a light bulb for my water closet. You need anything?”

“No, but make sure you buy a compact florescent bulb.” (yes, I am this annoying in RL too)
“I hate the light they give off. ”

“They have really gotten a lot better over the years. You should try again.”

“I guess I will just be peeing in there; don’t really need to see anything.”

That is the truth too. I have a few newer bulbs (not too many because those darn CF bulbs last FOREVER) and the newer ones really are better than the ones from a few years ago. It seems the cost has also gone down. Initially the purchase may cost you more, but in the end, due to the long life of the bulbs, I think it equals out, or comes fairly close to the cost of a regular bulb. Yes, they also may take a moment to come on when you flip the switch, but really, it is a small sacrifice to make to save energy = money.

“If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.” - energystar.gov

I would also take turning the lights on one step further. My family instituted this move around 3 months ago. Before we ever turn any switch on in the house, we look to see if a natural alternative method can be used. We open curtains and blinds or walk next to a window to look at something. It is very rare that we turn on more than 3 switches a day. Our kitchen light has needed to be changed for almost 4 months, but we haven’t even used the switch in that long. If we do have a light on someplace in the house, than before we turn another one on, the previous light must be turned off.

I have found some really great benefits to this method. One is obviously saving us energy and money. Another is mood setting. If my hubby is going to be home late from work, instead of leaving a light on for him, I will light a few candles by the door or even an oil lamp. You get the idea, I am sure. The biggest benefit is that our bodies have become more in tune with the natural cycle of the day. We have become very aware of the sun rising and setting, because it has a direct affect on our natural light in the house. This has assisted in setting more natural sleep and work cycles. This may sound kind of far fetched but I am honestly sharing how our little project has opened my eyes. I never realized how unaware I was to the sun and other natural cycles, because I was more tuned into “fake” light.

So, go ahead and give it a try. One month, I urge you. What can you lose? Maybe a little less brighter of a house? I think the benefits outweigh that, and I hope you will too.

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