| Type of Light | Initial purchase price | Amount charged by Eskom over the bulbs lifespan | Amount of Carbon produced over the bulbs lifespan |
| Incandescent Bulb100W
( 2000 hour lifespan) |
R5,60 | R74,00 | 195,6kg CO2 |
| Compact Florescent Light 100W replacement globe
(average 2000 hour lifespan) |
R15,00 | R5, 18 | 13, 69kg CO2 |
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- The first benefit of switching from incandescent bulbs to CFLs is that you save hard cash on your monthly electricity bill. While CFLs are initially more expensive to purchase, they last four times as longer than incandescent bulbs, and their running costs are significantly less. As the chart demonstrates, you save roughly R68 per light over the average lifespan of an incandescent light when you switch to a CFL. And that is only for one light in your home! If you switch them all to CFLs you will be saving a considerable amount of money, and also saving yourself the inconvenience of having to replace and recycle broken light bulbs.
- The second and most important benefit that you will receive when you switch your incandescent bulbs to energy saving CFLs is that you and your family will be pumping considerably less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The more electricity that you use, the more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and the more the planet heats up and the environment is compromised. If you look at the chart you will see that you can save 181,91kg of carbon dioxide by switching just one incandescent bulb to a CFL. If you switch all the bulbs in your home, imagine how much of a reduction you can make in your families carbon footprint.
Don’t wait for the bulbs in your house to blow before you install a replacement. Every day that your incandescent bulbs are used costs you money and costs the environment more than is necessary. Change the bulbs in your home today!