Compact flourescent bulbs ease power demand

Adam Urrutia has been trying for months to help California shrink its carbon footprint.

The land-use consultant has slowly swapped out traditional incandescent light bulbs in his Sacramento apartment for energy-saving CFLs – compact fluorescent bulbs.

"CFLs are expensive, but I like that once I buy one, I won't have to replace it anytime soon," Urrutia said.

The coiled white tubes are low-hanging fruit for people concerned about California's abundant energy appetite and its impact on global warming: The bulbs are easy to get and install, and they've proven good energy savers for utility companies.

So far, for example, CFLs have helped cut enough demand from the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. grid that it allowed the utility to avoid building one power plant, a company spokesman said.

For consumers, the direct impact has been less obvious.

Utility bills have not dropped because of CFLs. That may be, in part, because increasing petroleum costs are driving up overall energy costs.

CFL users have noted other drawbacks:

• CFLs don't fit into certain fixtures, and some don't work with dimmers.

• The light CFLs produce is "too dim" and "blue-hued."

• Some bulbs produce an "irritating, high-pitched whine."

• And after it's spent or broken, a CFL bulb, which contains mercury, must be disposed of properly.

Then there's the cost.

Ken Plumlee, owner of Lumens Lighting in Sacramento, said incandescent bulbs cost about 50 cents each, 12-volt halogen bulbs cost about twice as much, and compact fluorescent bulbs cost up to four times as much. Plumlee said CFL technology has advanced and now there are more options that work with dimmers and a wider array of light fixtures.

"There's no CFL that looks good exposed," Plumlee said.

LED lighting is a new option, although light-emitting diodes are still expensive.

An LED bulb is a microchip that gives off light. In home settings they're twice as energy-efficient as CFLs, and they don't contain hazardous materials, industry experts said.

Cell phones, flashlights, bike lights and grocery store freezer cases increasingly use LED lighting. LED may be the light of the future, but today's shining bulb is compact fluorescent.

Congress wants to push the transition away from power-hungry incandescent bulbs. The 2007 Energy Bill requires that new bulbs use up to 30 percent less energy than incandescents by 2014. By 2020, light bulbs should use 60 percent less.

In Sacramento, CFLs have gotten a big boost from PG&E and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

Fluorescent bulbs with a federal Energy Star stamp assuring their efficiency use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Energy Star CFL sales for 2007 were nearly double those in 2006, accounting for about 20 percent of the nation's light bulb market. Sales in 2007 totaled about 290 million fluorescent bulbs.

For PG&E, CFLs have been part of an energy-savings drive that's cut annual carbon pollution by at least a million tons.

According to SMUD, nearly 60 percent of households in its Sacramento territory have at least one fluorescent bulb in their home, compared with 16 percent eight years ago. More than two-thirds of PG&E households had at least one fluorescent bulb in the home; another third had four or more bulbs.

An awareness of global warming has helped spur growth of fluorescents. Utility-sponsored discounts or rebates – cutting the price of some bulbs by half – also has fueled the explosion.

But it's not really a giveaway, consumer advocates complain. Discounts are paid for by fees assessed on all California utility bills, said Mindy Spatt of the Utility Reform Network, based in San Francisco.

PG&E provided rebates for 19 million CFLs last year. Over the past six years, it subsidized 30 million bulbs.

SMUD subsidizes CFLs and works with more than 200 local retailers to track sales of discounted bulbs. It estimates about 800,000 SMUD-subsidized bulbs were sold last year.

As much as 20 percent of home energy use is devoted to lighting, which may be why utilities are nudging consumers to make the switch. California energy regulators also offer incentives to investor-owned utilities such as PG&E to generate less energy.

Yet for consumers, the question remains: Can you really save the planet one light bulb at a time?

There is computer modeling that can predict energy and cost savings in an ideal home situation, but they cannot predict if, for example, people will tend to leave CFL lights on longer.

One CFL bulb can save at least $30 in energy costs over its lifetime. With 1.4 million bulbs installed through its program in 2007, SMUD estimates it will save $24 million over the lifetime of the bulbs in power it did not have to generate and transmit, Kallet said.

From 2000 to 2006, PG&E customers – residential and business – saved more than $279 million with CFLs.

The potential for savings convinced Adam Urrutia, who switched from incandescent to fluorescent seven months ago. He likes the newfangled bulbs, even if the energy savings has been too small to see on his monthly bills.

"I think the fact that (my bill) hasn't increased based on more light usage during the winter is a telltale sign that (CFL bulbs) may be cheaper," Urrutia said.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Ngoc Nguyen at (916) 321-1041.