We’ve all heard about the benefits of compact fluorescent light bulbs, but how exactly do they work to benefit the environment? For many of us, it’s a truth we’ve just accepted without evidence, though the reasons why fluorescent light bulbs are better for the Earth can be illuminating. This is one of those little ways to become more green that ends up benefiting the world because of the sheer numbers involved. Millions of light bulbs go out and are replaced every single day in a country as large as the United States. That’s right. Millions each day. So making a positive choice in switching to fluorescent light bulbs can have an overwhelming impact if everyone does their part.

How does it work, and what exactly are the benefits. Here’s a short list of why compact fluorescent bulbs are better than regular light bulbs. First, they last longer, plain and simple. Standard incandescent light bulbs (the kind we’ve always used before fluorescent bulbs) last less than a thousand hours, which at a few hours a day equals light for around a year. Switching that incandescent bulb out for a fluorescent one can mean using a bulb that will last ten times as long, providing more like 10,000 hours of light in your home. That’s an amazing difference.

The economic incentive is also pretty significant. Sure, they might cost you a bit more money when you first buy it. But as we just mentioned, you’re going to buy one every ten years, instead of one each year for ten years. Beyond that, the reduction in the cost of energy in your home will save you money as well. We’re talking about money savings on every single bulb in your home, right there on your electric bill. Energy emissions are much lower with fluorescent bulbs, because they don’t cast off the same excess as standard incandescent bulbs.

As if you needed any more positive evidence, compact fluorescent light bulbs also use less electricity when in operation. This is because of the mechanism at work in creating light with each kind of bulb. While incandescent bulbs use a filament that takes energy to heat in order to produce light, fluorescent bulbs instead contain a gas that emits light by virtue of an interaction between that gas and electricity. Without getting too complicated, it’s this lack of heat in the process of producing light that makes these bulbs a great deal more energy efficient, and consequently, a better choice overall for the environment.

Simply put, the truth is that compact fluorescent light bulbs are just better: better for the environment and better on your wallet.

(Image Credit: Victory Garden Supply)