Power Saving Bulbs
Today's efficient bulb technology is far advanced from that you may have trialed 10 or even 5 years ago. So much so that past concerns surrounding performance, aesthetics, price and safety are no longer valid. It is a fact that efficient lighting can save you a lot of money over time and there is now a good selection of efficient lights that look good and save you money.

If you want to take advantage of the electricity savings you can benefit from efficient lighting, you will want to begin replacing some of your standard incandescent bulbs to energy efficient alternatives.

Information on light bulb disposal
When you make the switch from non-efficient light bulbs, to power saving bulbs, wrap the old light bulbs in newspaper to avoid the risk of getting cut by broken glass and dispose of them either at your local authority recycling centre or, for places where there are no disposal facilities, put out with the household rubbish.

Broken bulb clean-up
If any light bulb is broken in your home, care is required with the clean up of the broken glass and other sharp pieces. If a CFL is broken, the very small amount of mercury contained in a single bulb is most unlikely to pose any risk if the guidelines for a safe clean-up are followed.


As a precaution, the steps below outline how to clean-up safely:

• Use rubber or latex gloves.
  
• Ventilate the room for 15 minutes before you start the clean-up.
  
• Sweep big pieces up using stiff paper/cardboard, wrap in newspaper and place in a plastic bag.
  
• Use the sticky side of duct tape to clean up the smaller pieces.
  
• It’s wise not to use a vacuum or broom to clean up a broken light bulb as this could potentially vaporise and spread mercury through the air and contaminate the vacuum cleaner or broom.
  
• Wipe the area down with a damp paper towel and place used paper towels along with the gloves in a plastic bag.
  
• Store the sealed bag outside until the next rubbish collection.
  

For more clean-up information see the Ministry for the Environment website.


Saving Bulbs
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CFL Bulbs
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Energy Savings Calculator
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Light Bulbs
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