I hope this morning you’ve all heard about European Union’s legislation due to be agreed on in spring ‘09 expected to ban energy-guzzling electronics.

But what do you think about it?

I am personally a big fan of bans on standby modes. Standby modes are the biggest energy guzzlers using vampire energy when the machine is not in use.

Standby more has it’s perks:

• Quicker startup time
• Remote startup (using a remote control device)

But really? Yes, I pay for my electricity - even my wasted electricity but I support banning these wasting modes because many people don’t know any, let alone how much, energy is being wasted when a machine appears to be off but is merely in a standby mode.

I never leave my computer or laptop on standby - and my computer when not in use has it’s surge protector switch turned off to save electricity. Most time I am on my laptop which is a more energy efficient model and I always shut it down entirely when I am done with it.

What do you think?

Do you think it’s right for any government to ban energy wasting electronic appliances or to ban energy wasting standby modes? I want to hear from you!

Checkout the Big Green Switch for more information about switching your machines power off instead of leaving standby mode dormant.

This feed comes from Green Behavior The specific article's link is: Banning Sleep Mode? What’s your Opinion?

That may be true but let’s get down with the numbers and find out how and how much more efficient compact florescent bulbs are than incandescent. While we’re at it we’ll also what other differences are there between compact florescent bulbs and incandescent bulbs?

When you buy a light bulb we often equate wattage to the amount of light omitted.
That would be wrong! Wattage is the amount of electricity used while lumen is the unit of measurement used when referring to the amount of light flow or luminous flux. Let’s compare lumens to wattage in both incandescent and compact florescent bulbs.

To achieve the same amount to light (lumens) as a compact florescent bulb an incandescent uses between 3-4 times the amount of electricity. To really drive that idea home let’s chart out the difference between the two kinds of bulbs.

Chart: 6 Hours a Day

Assuming a bulb is run 6 hours a day for calculating daily watt hour usage

Chart: 365 Days a Year

Converting that to kilowatt hour (1 watt hour = 0.001 kilowatt hours) usage over the course of a year assuming those bulbs are on 6 hours a day 365 days a year.

Over the course of a year switching just one 60 watt light bulb that is on 6 hours a day, 365 days a year from incandescent to compact fluorescent would take that bulb’s kilowatt hour usage from 131 kWh to 33 kWh. That’s a savings of 98 kWh which with electric charges at an average of $0.19 / kWh would save almost $20/year per bulb. Using a conversion factor of 0.537^[1] that change of one bulb saves 53kgCo2 / year.

Differences in Use

Now that we know more about how the different kinds of bulbs add up electrically and mathematically let’s compare some other details about the bulbs to help you weigh the decision between compact florescent and incandescent bulb usage for your lifestyle.

Learn more

• Safe removal of broken CF bulbs - consumerreports.com
• General Electric Lighting Compact florescent FAQ
• Dane County Wisconsin DPW
• EPA Provides information about Mercury
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Conversion Factors