Energy Saving Halogen Bulbs save 30 percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs.

Readers of The Energy Efficient Light Bulb Buyer’s Guide will know that there are light fixtures where CFLs won’t work, and LEDs are not quite ready for prime time.  What’s the solution?

Energy Saving Halogen Bulbs!

These modified incandescent bulbs look very much like standard incandescent bulbs and cost just a bit more, but you can use them anywhere–on timers, with dimmers, in closets, garages, reading lamps, or any other fixture.  And they contain no mercury, so you don’t have to deal with recycling or hazardous waste disposal.

Energy Saving Halogen Bulbs don’t save as much energy as CFLs, only about 30 percent less compared to 75 percent or more for CFLs.  But they do meet the first level of the new efficiency standards for bulbs in the U.S. and the U.K.  And they will start saving you money now.

Warning: Not all halogen bulbs will save you energy!  Even though halogen bulbs are more efficient at creating light from heat, special filters and coatings are used on the inside of the bulb to increase the amount of light coming from the bulb.  A 75-watt halogen bulb still uses 75 watts of energy.

Make sure the halogen bulb package says “energy saver” or gives an actual percentage of energy savings compared to standard incandescent bulbs, typically 25 to 30 percent.  The package should say something like, “53 watts = 75 watts.”

You can find energy saving halogen bulbs at Home Depot and on Amazon.

For more information about how to save money and energy with energy saving halogen bulbs, as well as CFLs and LEDs, order The Energy Efficient Light Bulb Buyer’s Guide today!

Unlike those blood-sucking ghouls from Transylvania, these vampires are found in every home.  An energy vampire is any electronic appliance that secretly uses energy–even when it’s not in use.  Examples are cell phone chargers, answering machines and video game systems.

This 2-page, colorful report starts with instructions for finding all your home’s energy vampires.  Then it gives a detailed check list that includes all types of appliances along with the estimated dollar amount each one costs when plugged in, but turned “off.”

Once you’ve gone through the list, you can calculate your home’s “Energy Vampire Drain,” in dollars.  And you can begin to “slay” your energy vampires by remembering to unplug appliances when you’re not using them.  You can make things easier by using power strips to completely disconnect a whole set of “vampires” from their power sources.

Visit this link to download the Energy Vampire Hunt.

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Click here for a FREE six-part mini-course on Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

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It was a “teachable moment” when Alaska Electric Light & Power announced that, until the line was repaired, the utility would use backup diesel generators to provide electricity, passing the high cost of fuel on to consumers.

Overnight, the price of electricity jumped from 11 cents per kilowatt-hour–about the national average–to around 53 cents/kWh. This would have increased residents’ utility bills from an average of about $90 to over $400 per month.

Sticker Shock
The shock drove electricity customers to conserve about 30 percent of the energy they normally would have used. Doing so would cause their monthly payments to drop down closer to $300, still far higher than Juneau residents normally experience.

And how did they do it?

Painfully, one kilowatt at a time, by consciously conserving energy at every turn. Lights in homes and businesses were kept dim or dark, electric appliances were left unplugged, thermostats were turned way down. Some public buildings were closed. Elevators and escalators were turned off. Even airport runway lights were darkened, except for the moments before takeoff and landing.

Over those six weeks, until the power line was restored on June 1, the citizens of Juneau “did without.”

Conservation isn’t Easy
But for all their conscious effort and not a little physical suffering, they only managed to save 30 percent of the energy they normally use to run the city and run their lives. And let’s face it: living in a dark, 50 degree home isn’t anybody’s idea of comfortable.

Looking at Juneau’s energy data soon after the avalanche, the city dropped from using almost 1,000 megawatt-hours per day to a low of 550 MWh per day. Once the cheap hydro-electric power rates were restored on June 1, residents gradually increased their energy use. By mid-July, their daily electric use was still below 2007’s, but within 100 MWh.

So what’s the answer–I mean, the long-term, realistic answer to the inevitable energy rate hikes we will all face in the near future?

That’s right: Energy Efficiency.

One of the first measures Juneau residents put into place during the crisis was installing energy efficient light bulbs–mostly CFLs. One reporter noted that these bulbs flew off the shelves within a few days of the avalanche.

By investing in CFLs, consumers stumbled upon the principle of relying on energy efficiency to reduce the energy we use over the long haul, versus energy conservation measures for short-term emergencies.

Have you tried a few CFLs, but want to know more before investing in a house full of them? I’m putting the finishing touches on my electronic book, The Energy Efficient Light Bulb Buyer’s Guide, which should be available for purchase within the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, check out my free 6-week course on Energy Efficient Light Bulbs.

Talk to you soon…

Holly Martin, author The Energy Efficient Light Bulb Buyer’s Guide