A Light Bulb Moment

Top of the morning to you, fellow bloggers!

Pour another cup of your favorite brew, revitalize those sleepy brain cells, and let's chat about about "greening" the planet and the pension.

While contemplating the declining value of my retirement investments this morning (now THAT will wake you up, won't it!), I decided to bring a "bit of the Irish" to my blog this month (timely, huh?) with the most succinct and valuable information that I have encountered lately concerning living frugally and sustainably (AKA: green-ly).

I read. I read a lot. I read obsessively. I am an information junkie. (Whew......I feel better now that I have outed myself!) Where am I going with this? It's too much..................it's simply too much. I end up with analysis paralysis. I end up without a road map because I cannot program my GPS. I end up without a picture because I didn't finish reading (or didn't understand) the camera manual. Are you here? Do you understand?

If so, I am sure you can see why I am sooooooooo excited when I find some information that is a no-brain, concise action strategy that helps me live the way I want to live. Spells it out for me. One, two, three..........get on with my day type of easy. Good, eco-friendly, frugal advice. A dumbed down "_____________ for Dummies" page; a succinct summary......................... A PLAN!

THEN, I really get excited! I HAVE A LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!!!!!!!!
Let me share...................

For those of you who just cannot abide not having the research, consult my source at http://www.thesimpledollar.com/ (Archived post from 10Feb2009). (You won't be sorry)

For the rest of us:
RIGHT NOW, USE CFL bulbs for general lighting purposes, INCANDESCENT bulbs for focused reading (where immediate light is important), and LED bulbs in a few very hard-to-reach sockets, since they have a very, very long life span.

AS THE PRICE ON LED BULBS GOES DOWN (which it inevitably will over the next few years), REPLACE THE INCANDESCENT BULBS FIRST AND THEN THE CFL'S. When Will LED Bulbs Be Ready for Prime Time? Sound advice is to keep a close tab on the prices of LED bulbs. Ignoring light quality entirely, LED bulbs are already cheaper than incandescent bulbs over a long period, but as they are manufactured by more and more companies, the prices on such bulbs will drop over time - and a rapid drop will probably occur OVER THE NEXT ONE TO TWO YEARS.

IF YOU ARE SWITCHING DIRECTLY FROM INCANDESCENT BULBS, WAIT UNTIL THE PRICES ON LED BULBS DROP TO HALF OF THEIR CURRENT PRICE, SAY $60 A BULB - then begin replacing incandescent lights. Why not just replace all incandescent bulbs with these bulbs now, since they’re cheaper over the bulb’s lifetime? In the short term, the prices on LED bulbs will actually drop faster than the energy cost savings in buying them now, so hold off for a year or so before replacing all of your incandescent bulbs.

IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST LIGHTING POSSIBLE, YOUR MAGIC NUMBER FOR LED BULBS IS IN THE $15 PER BULB RANGE. One could estimate that THIS PRICE POINT WILL BE REACHED WITHIN THREE TO FIVE YEARS.

INCIDENTALLY, CFLs CAN NOW BE RECYCLED. Home Depot, Ace Hardware, True Value and Ikea will accept used CFLs. Further, you can contact your public works department or go to ww.epa.gov/bulbrecycling to find a recycling program.

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

Cut and paste it. Delicious it. Digg it or JUST DO IT. (That was a great campaign now wasn't it?) Then, PASS IT ON......................as I have.

Injoy,

The Other Martha at home