Energy-efficient light bulbs could save as much as $25,000

By Robert Doherty
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The Energy Committee at Brooksby Village was looking for ways to be energy efficient. After doing some research, the group determined that if all the people who live at Brooksby began using energy-efficient light bulbs, the campus would see huge savings in energy costs when compared to incandescent bulbs.

More efficient
Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) are more energy-efficient than incandescent light bulbs because they do not waste energy to heat a filament. The fluorescent bulbs contain a gas that produces invisible ultraviolet (UV) light when excited by electricity. When the UV light hits the white coating inside the fluorescent bulb, it is changed into a light that you can see.

The compact fluorescent light bulbs also have a longer life expectancy, often lasting four to ten times longer than incandescent. Though the initial cost of most compact fluorescent lights is higher than incandescent, the longer life expectancy and energy savings adds up over time. At Brooksby, over 3,400 of these energy-efficient light bulbs were sold.

Lowering energy costs
“We all have lights and lamps in our apartments so what better way to start lowering energy costs than in our own home,” says Emerson Tucker, member of the Resident Advisory Council at Brooksby Village and chairman of the Energy Committee. “We shopped around and finally were able to get a great deal on Sylvania Energy Star bulbs. I’m so glad the people came out to this event to buy some and try them out in their homes,” says Emerson.

“The Treasure Chest gave the Energy Committee the money to purchase the bulbs so we can’t thank them enough,” says Emerson. “We spent $9,600 to buy the energy-efficient light bulbs which will yield a savings of $25,000 on energy bills a year. The people who live here deserve all the credit.”