The Light Bulb Exchange
Did you know that when you turn on an incandescent light bulb, only 10 percent of the electricity used is turned into light; the other 90 percent is wasted as heat?
In November 2005, Brandeis sponsored its first Light Bulb Exchange, to promote the use of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) in place of the more common but less efficient and ultimately more costly incandescent bulbs.
Demo of bulbs:
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| Conventional Incandescent light bulb | Eco-friendly economical Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb |
It’s All About the Lumens
The amount of light you receive from the bulb is measured in lumens. Make sure to select the compact fluorescent that matches the lumens of the incandescent bulb you prefer.
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Typical Light Output (Minimum Lumens) |
450 |
800 |
1,100 |
1,600 |
2,600 |
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Incandescent Bulb ( |
40 |
60 |
75 |
100 |
150 |
The Stats: Conventional Incandescent Bulbs vs. Compact Fluorescent
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INCANDESCENT |
COMPACT FLUORESCENT |
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Bulb type |
100W Incandescent |
23W Compact fluorescent |
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Purchase price |
$0.75 |
$11.00 |
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Life of Bulb |
750 hours |
10,000 hours |
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Number of hours burned per day |
4 hours |
4 hours |
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Number of bulbs needed |
About 6 over 3 years |
1 over 6.8 years |
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Total Cost of Bulbs |
$4.50 |
$11.00 |
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Lumens produced |
1,690 |
1,500 |
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Total Cost of electricity (8 cents/kilowatt hour) |
$35.04 |
$8.06 |
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Your Total Cost over 3 years |
$35.94 |
$19.06 |
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Total Savings over 3 years with the Compact Fluorescent: $20.50 |
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