Tackling a Common Question (And What's Big Bubba?)

As energy manager for Arlington County, I'm thrilled at the leadership shown by County Chairman Paul Ferguson in launching the AIRE campaign. (OK, maybe I'm getting a bit less sleep these days -- but I'm thriving on the enthusiasm of staff, residents and the business community!)

I'll be doing more blog posting, but in this first one, I'll tackle one of the most common questions I hear: "Where do I get compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs?"

The easy answer: You can get CFLs at most of the usual places where you buy light bulbs already. I've gotten them for my own home at Home Depot and Lowes, where you can buy a six-pack for under $10. (And remember, these bulbs last over 8,000 hours -- lasting up to 10 times longer than regular light bulbs!) Other people I know buy their CFL bulbs at Target, Costco, local hardware stores, Walmart, grocery stores, etc. (P.S. Arlington County will be giving away CFL bulbs at selected events throughout the year -- stay tuned.) CFL bulbs are so common now -- there's a CFL for almost every fixture and application.

By the way, the fourth graders at Patrick Henry Elementary especially loved "Big Bubba" -- it's a 55-watt CFL bulb (for specialty applications) that I showed them at a career day demo last year.

John Morrill
Energy Manager, Arlington County

Comments

[Karl Veit]

Consider the easiest "green" street lighting suggestion: use less. The County has been over-supporting requests for more lighting and we now have light pollution that obscures almost all of the stars. We could use less outdoor lighting if better directed and of high quality, saving money and the environment. Eliminate the VEPCO street lights where Arl. has its own lighting, direct all the lumens downward, and cut the wattage.

[Karl Veit]

Consider the easiest "green" street lighting suggestion: use less. The County has been over-supporting requests for more lighting and we now have light pollution that obscures almost all of the stars. We could use less outdoor lighting if better directed and of high quality, saving money and the environment. Eliminate the VEPCO street lights where Arl. has its own lighting, direct all the lumens downward, and cut the wattage.

[Karl Veit]

Consider the easiest "green" street lighting suggestion: use less. The County has been over-supporting requests for more lighting and we now have light pollution that obscures almost all of the stars. We could use less outdoor lighting if better directed and of high quality, saving money and the environment. Eliminate the VEPCO street lights where Arl. has its own lighting, direct all the lumens downward, and cut the wattage.

[David Gray]

I am a fan of CFL bulbs, but I just wanted to point out that the bulbs contain mercury, and so when they eventually *do* burn out, they must be disposed of properly. If you just throw it in the trash, the mercury could become a contaminant in the environment. As I understand it, proper disposal means treating the CFL as household hazardous waste. I take my dead CFLs to the facility on S. Glebe Rd. for proper disposal.

[John Morrill]

Hi again - a few thoughts in response to visitor comments. CFLs with old magnetic ballasts occasionally caused interference, but that issue has gone away with newer products. It is a testament to the long life of CFLs that some older ones are stil in use!

As for mercury vapor outdoor lighting, the County has already had Dominion Virginia Power replace most MV lights with more efficient high pressure sodium lights on County streets. We paid for this in the late 1990s with capital funding and are now saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year because of the retrofits. There are a few lower-wattage MV lamps still out there, and that's one more wave of retrofits to come. [Bear in mind, the street lights on state roads are handled by Dominion and VDOT.]

We are also very interested in using cutoff fixtures (also known as "dark sky compliant" fixtures), and we frequently discuss this issue with Dominion Virginia Power, which owns and maintains most of the street lighting in the County. This is an uphill battle.

We have retrofit well over half of our traffic signals to long-lasting, energy-efficient LED signals, saving over $200,000 a year in electricity and maintenance costs.