Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy

Information on CFL's

What is a CFL?
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) are smaller versions of standard incandescent lamps and consume much less energy but provide the same amount of light comparable to incandescent lights. CFLs come in many shapes and sizes so they can fit in table lamps and many other residential fixtures.

Benefits of CFL's

Benefits of CFLs
ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs:

Money Savings: Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over the life of each bulb.
Saves Energy: Uses about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs.
Longer Life: CFLs last up to 10 times longer. For every CFL used, there are as many as eight less incandescent light bulbs ending up in landfills.
Protects Virginia’s Environment: If every household in Virginia changed just one incandescent light bulb to an ENERGY STAR CFL, the combined efforts would avoid over 230 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions going into our air (equivalent to removing 20,000 cars from our roads!)
Cleaner Air: Over its lifetime, one single CFL bulb prevents 2,000 pounds (1 ton) of carbon dioxide from heating the atmosphere.

CFL

Be part of the solution by taking the Change a Light Pledge! By joining with DMME, all Virginians can help save energy and our precious natural resources by participating in Change a Light Pledge and agreeing to change at least one incandescent light bulb or fixture to one that has earned the ENERGY STAR. According to a recent report by the Washington, D.C.-based Earth Policy Institute, switching to CFLs in the U.S. alone could save the energy output of 80 plants.

For more information about mercury issues, breakage, proper disposal or recycling options, please go to the Department of Environmental Quality’s website.

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