opinions on energy efficient light bulbs

crystal vowell · Feb 24, 2007

Ok so I am starting to get on my feet.My dd I are supposed to be getting a 2 bedroom for $475.00 a month.I was wonderig does anyone use the energy efficient light bulbs?This is something I am considering to save on the electric bill.Btw I will post more later when I have more time.

southpawboston · Feb 24, 2007

we use them.

how cheap can you get them? normally they are $3-6 per bulb, so if you have to replace a whole apartment's worth of them you may spend around $100, then you may not recoup that investment for several years. check to see if your state has a program for getting the bulbs cheaper. in my state you can get them for $1.00 each through a special promotion to save energy.

we've seen our monthly bill drop by about $5 per month, but that's a rough estimate. some of our bulbs are still regular incandescant bulbs because they are cosmetic or special application (like on a dimmer circuit-- can't use CF bulbs for that).

EDIT: i just had to add, a 2-bed apt in my area goes for $1500, and if you have a small child, the apartment must be certified de-leaded. since those are harder to come by, they go for even more...

crystal vowell · Feb 24, 2007

Home depot is supposed to have a 6 pack or something for less than $10.00. My dad got some tonight but I wanted to check into it before buying any.I figure 12 would be good maybe I'm wrong.

rlsadc · Feb 24, 2007

i dont know too much about energy efficient bulbs, but i know that my aunt uses them. some of them give off a diffrent color light (we look yellow in it) so i would ask someone about which ones have the most natural looking light (if it matters to you)

i wish we could get a 2 bd for 415! wow, lol, we are at 935 right now for 2bd 2 bth and that is on the low end. housing costs is definately not a perk living in a big city

crystal vowell · Feb 24, 2007

rlsadc said:
i dont know too much about energy efficient bulbs, but i know that my aunt uses them. some of them give off a diffrent color light (we look yellow in it) so i would ask someone about which ones have the most natural looking light (if it matters to you)

i wish we could get a 2 bd for 415! wow, lol, we are at 935 right now for 2bd 2 bth and that is on the low end. housing costs is definately not a perk living in a big city

Well we won't be in the best part of town thet is why rent is cheap.To me it looks bad on the outside but as long as my family and my car is left alone I am not worried about the looks on the outside.Fyi my dad is kicking us out so this place is better than nothing.It feels good to get away from all the abuse.

scatterbunny · Feb 24, 2007

In my rural, fairly low income town of about 4,000 people, a two bedroom apartment rents for a minimum of $500, but usually closer to about $600. Nicer duplexes are $650-$800.

A four bedroom, older home in just "okay" condition in town on a small lot rents for about $1,000. We got lucky since we have rented from the same family for almost seven years (three different houses, first a one bedroom, then a two bedroom, now a four bedroom), and we only pay $650 for our two-story, four bedroom house. It's not in great shape, but we've lived in worse.

Cost of living can vary so much by area.

About the light bulbs, we only have a few, so I can't say how much they actually make a difference, but our local electric company offers rebates on energy efficient products, including light bulbs.

rlsadc · Feb 24, 2007

crystal vowell said:
Well we won't be in the best part of town thet is why rent is cheap.To me it looks bad on the outside but as long as my family and my car is left alone I am not worried about the looks on the outside.Fyi my dad is kicking us out so this place is better than nothing.It feels good to get away from all the abuse.

i felt the same way when i left home

i wish you the best of luck on this next chapter

crystal vowell · Feb 24, 2007

rlsadc said:
i felt the same way when i left home i wish you the best of luck on this next chapter

Thanks.I really think we should be ok if I could get some hours at work.I have decided there is a place called 3 pt appliances and I am going to try to get a front loading washer and dryer from there used for about $400.00 delivered and hopefully that will help save on energy too.

rlsadc · Feb 24, 2007

every little bit adds up in the long run

broken4u05 · Feb 24, 2007

Were i am i would be lucky to find i one bedroom for 1000-1300 a month. My friend just moved out and to a area i would not want to live and for a one BR they are paying over 1000.
Good luck being on your own. I hope everything turns out grat

JaRylan · Feb 24, 2007

crystal vowell said:
Ok so I am starting to get on my feet.My dd I are supposed to be getting a 2 bedroom for $475.00 a month.I was wonderig does anyone use the energy efficient light bulbs?This is something I am considering to save on the electric bill.Btw I will post more later when I have more time.

Thinking way ahead here...but if you go with the energy efficient bulbs and then end up moving again at some point don't forget to take your bulbs with you! You would hate to lose that investment and continued energy savings. Good luck with everything.

Gypsy · Feb 24, 2007

No advice, but I wanted to wish you best of luck on this new chapter of your life!!!

skaterbabs · Feb 24, 2007

If you get the corkscrew style ones, make sure they have a globe or shade because if they get hit by a flying toy or something they explode.

We learned this the hard way....

CrabbyBunchX3 · Feb 24, 2007

skaterbabscpst said:
If you get the corkscrew style ones, make sure they have a globe or shade because if they get hit by a flying toy or something they explode.

We learned this the hard way....

hehe indeed they do

lovinwaves · Feb 24, 2007

skaterbabscpst said:
If you get the corkscrew style ones, make sure they have a globe or shade because if they get hit by a flying toy or something they explode.

We learned this the hard way....

ROFL!!! That is hilarious Becky!

Anyways Crystal, we use the energy bulbs all throughout our house. I have noticed a couple of things. One, some of them may stick out of some lighting fixtures, meaning you may see them. Also, there seems to be a slight delay when you turn on the lightswitch. That is not a big deal, but it just takes some getting use to

DH doesn't like the light they put out, so like in our bathroom where I put on my makeup or where DH shaves we use regular bulbs to see better.

LuvBug · Feb 24, 2007

I dont think we have ever used the energy efficient, but we have used the ones that are suppose to last 'so many years' and those havent ever lasted long enough lol! I think those are 2 different kinds of bulbs?

You can get a 2br 1b(sometimes 1.5) appt here for $280-300 a month, $350 a month including utilities(different complex though)... if you want a really big nice appt to share with a roommate you can get a 2br 2b appt with the rooms on opposite sides for $500 a month... thats about as pricey as they get, that Ive seen.

Morganthe · Feb 25, 2007

I started using the 'ee' (florescent) bulbs in Germany because our house had south facing HUGE garden windows and got very hot during the summers unless the rolladens (sp?) were completely down during the day. This made it extremely dark in our living/dining areas, so lights were on to compensate. I noticed after trying out one that the florescent bulbs helped keep the heat down too. They're much cooler than regular lights.

I thought it was interesting that when we moved into this house, that quite a few of the ceiling lights also had florescent bulbs. Kitchen & hallways. I started out slowly and trying out different brands & wattages to see what would work. Basically Dd's room has a florescent light that she turns on and off by herself. at 8 watts, it's minimal on the electric bill if she forgets. It's a dark room anyway (high side window), so I like it on during the daytime. The only non-florescent light in regular use is one that's a 3way for reading in the living room. But there is a huge difference in summer cooling because of the florescent lights.

Texas has programs sponsored by the Electric company where individuals evaluate your house for energy trapping. Mine apparently was good enough and he couldn't reach to insulate the A/C piping in the register, so I got an entire box of 8 short coiled florescent lights instead! Saved me over $35 for free

Gotta love that.

Mom2nj · Feb 25, 2007

They do use less energy, not sure how much. We use them in our basement and laundry room. When we had regular bulbs in the laundry room, the breaker would trip when I had the lights on and running the washer and dryer. Now with the others I don't have to worry about switching laundry in the dark.

They do take longer to get bright, seems when you turn them it is darker then as time goes on and they "warm up" it's brighter. Good luck with your new adventure in life.

joolsplus3 · Feb 25, 2007

I think the biggest thing that saved me money when I lived in an apartment was to just put a post it note on the door reminding me to turn the heat or a/c OFF when I left the house (the lady at the electric company gave me that tip, lol). A small place will heat up or cool down so fast when you get home, there's no need to heat or cool it while you are gone, you know?
Walmart in California had flourescent bulbs subsidized by the electric company for a dollar each, so yeah, definitely go to your state's/electric company website and see if they have any kind of special like that advertised.

canadianmom2three · Feb 25, 2007

I have to agree about the thermostat - we got one of those timers that allow you to set it for daytime, daytime away and evening, so of course, DH sets it to go waaaay down during the day, and at night too (pile on the extra blankets

) and that seems to make a difference. Our monthly bill on budget plan (equal payments each month, based on last year's consumption) is $182 for a 3 bedroom 4 level split house. We have been gradually replacing our lights with the flourescent ones, but they are $$$. Our town had a promo where you could buy them for $1 each, but by the time me and the three kids got there the line was tooo long for waiting. Our biggest cash hog with the electricity is the pool pump. We just bought this place at the end of the summer, and basically closed up the pool about a month later, so the next summer, when we got our first electricity bill (for 3 months use) I just about passed out

It took us forever to pay that down, but since then we have gone on the budget plan, where you pay the same amount each month, and that is great - at least I always know what I will have to pay - no more surprises!! We are going to try and set the pool filter up with a timer this summer, so it doesn't run constantly. As far as rent goes here, averages from cheapest of $500/mo all the way up to $2000+ (we have some beautiful lakefront places that rent out). We have a second property that we rent out for $850/mo + utilities, and I think it is pretty good value for the $$, its a big old farmhouse with 3 bedrooms up, one down and a huge country kitchen, fenced yard etc. $450 sounds like a great steal for a place though, congrats on getting a place of your own, hope the move goes great - well as great as moving can possibly go anyway

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