After recently calculating my carbon footprint, it became apparent that a large factor of my wastefully created carbon was due to my lack of utilization of the most efficient types of lighting. And, honestly, I found myself fairly ignorant on the subject. What types of lights are the most efficient, and is it possible for me to achieve energy efficiency without burning a hole in my wallet? As it turns out, there are several options for efficient lighting, and many types can even save money over time in comparison with traditional incandescent bulbs.
The main alternatives to incandescents are Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. Both of these present large advantages over incandescent bulbs, reducing the electricity used for lighting by a factor of ten or more. LED lights appear to be the light of the future, boasting watt usage "1/3rd to 1/30th of incandescent or CFL." Though, the initial investment for LED lights is high. Thus, for many, CFL's present the most effective option to reduce one's carbon footprint through efficient lighting.
For such a pressing issue, it seems like a small task to replace lightbulbs with more sustainable alternatives, and, in many cases, the initial cost will be returned several times over.
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