Fluourescent Light Increasing Greenhouse Gases?
Yes that’s the claim of a study by BC Hydro in Canada reported to their utility commission that in some cases compact fluorescents (CFLs) can actually increase greenhouse gas emissions. The report explains that because of the great inefficiency of incandescent light bulbs, they generate a great deal of heat in the average home. In a cold climate the extra heat is appreciated, but when these old, inefficient bulbs are replaced with CFL, the more efficient bulbs don’t give off as much heat. It turns out that this is enough of a heat loss that people turn up their heat and if it’s gas heat, it’s increasing the emission of CO2.
Unfortunately this headline and the way i’ve seen and heard in the media makes it sound as if the fluorescents will increase global warming, but in fact the study assumes that all BC electricity will be “green” said this:
By 2017, Hydro said, it anticipates efficient lighting could annually save 480 gigawatt hours of electricity.
However, Hydro also states that lighting regulations “will increase GHG emissions in Hydro’s service territory by 45,000 tonnes due to cross effects” of a switch to cool-burning bulbs.
well 480 gigawatts of coal fired power emits about 480,000 tons of CO2, from natural gas about 325,000 tons. The idea that this somehow is an overall negative is ridiculous, until all power is generated without CO2 emissions. Even if BC was 100% green energy, do all the materials to build the dams, wind farms, nuclear reactors not count? Is having to build an extra nuclear plant really more greenhouse friendly than reducing inefficient lighting?
While it’s interesing to know that there is some emissions that will result from the loss of heat in cold weather, it’s just another factor in calculating overall greenhouse emissions. Don’t stop changing those bulbs!
Tags: compact fluorescents, green energy
September 28th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Not to mention that heat released due to the low efficiency of incandescent bulbs require more COOLING in the summer time, resulting in a huge energy drain via air conditioners. I don’t have hard numbers, but if any of you have stood under a set of track lighting/spot lights in a house, that’s a LOT of heat to get rid of.
As the author says, keep changing those bulbs! (Though LED is best, methinks! Hopefully cheap LED replacement bulbs are coming soon!)