Battle of the Bulb: PUCO offers lighting tips during Energy Awareness Month

COLUMBUS, OHIO (Oct. 23, 2014)– This October, The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) reminds Ohioans to be aware of their energy usage by considering these lighting tips for their homes and businesses.

Lighting accounts for about 10 percent of the average home’s electric bill. Incandescent bulbs use only 10 percent of the electricity they require to produce light, the remaining 90 percent burns off as heat. Because of changes in lighting technology, consumers have choices in reducing their lighting costs by using bulbs that are just as bright but require less than a third of the electricity.

The table below shows how using a compact fluorescent light (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulb can be more energy efficient than an incandescent light bulb and can save consumers money.

Cost comparison of 75 Watt light bulbs

* As of January 1, 2013, 75-watt incandescent bulbs are no longer being manufactured

** Based on 3 hours/day usage at $0.11/kwh

Additional lighting tips:

• Hold the base and not the glass to screw in the bulb.
• Read the packaging to see where each bulb should be used. Not all ENERGYSTAR® qualified bulbs are designed to work in every socket.
• Use ENERGYSTAR® qualified light bulbs where the light will be on for at least 15 minutes at a time. Frequently turning a CFL on and off shortens the bulb’s lifetime.
• Follow the clean up recommendations of the U.S. EPA if a CFL bulb breaks in your home, and properly dispose of them when broken or burned out. There is a small amount of mercury in every CFL (.4 mg to 4mg). By comparison, mercury thermometers contain about 500 mg of mercury. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use.
• LED bulbs use light-emitting diodes to produce light efficiently. Unlike incandescent or CFL bulbs, LEDs don’t burn out; they lose brightness, which can cause the light color to change over time. LED bulbs reach the end of their lifetime when the light output has decreased by 30 percent or more.

Ohioans needing assistance in managing their energy costs can visit www.energyhelp.ohio.gov to learn more about programs that are available. More information on energy conservation tips can also be found on the PUCO’s website, www.PUCO.ohio.gov or by calling 1-800-686-PUCO (7826).  

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