SFist Photo: Lights Out SF Aftermath, Let's Do the Math
Have you gotten your CFLs yet? They're practically giving them away at the Costco -- 39 cents each.
So Lights Out San Francisco is now in the history books. Some were disappointed but it was all for a good cause. Or for a crackpot idea, depending on how you look at it.
But Lights Out SF isn't about saving juice for one day, it's about raising awareness. That's why they were giving away energy saving light bulbs. Let's look at the economics of CFLs, assuming you can handle them, after the jump.
Watch the Bay Bridge lose some of its lighting here. How much energy does de-lighting save in an hour?
Assuming the San Mateo Times is correct, then the de-lighted Bay Bridge used 5,400 fewer watt-hours (600 units, 9 watts, one hour) of electricity during the lights-out period on Saturday. That's enough energy to power Al Gore's famous house (including the pool and the security system) for 10-15 minutes. Or enough to warm Dick Cheney's cold, cold heart 1/1000th of a degree, depending on how you look at it.
What if you bought ten 13-watt CFLs for $3.89 and changed them out for ten 60-watt incandescent bulbs you've been using? You'd be saving 47 watts per bulb, or 470 watts with all ten in use. So after about 12 hours of use, you'd have saved as much as was saved by turning off the suspension strand lights on the Bay Bridge.
Of course, most San Francisco-ists don't use that many bulbs at once, but you get the idea. If you can tolerate fluorescent lighting, changing out a reasonable number of bulbs can have a big effect. And these days, the cost in $$$ to buy the bulbs is not all that much at all.
What about mercury? That's some nasty stuff right there and CFLs all use a tiny amount of the quicksilver. All these tiny amounts can add up so proper disposal isn't easy. And dispose we will when LED lighting gets cheaper. LED lighting is going to rock the house.
But in the meantime, now is the time for CFLs. If you can handle them.
Or just turn out all your lights. We all feel better in the dark anyway, right?