Compact Fluorescent Lamp Payback Analysis

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) can be used to replace older incandescent light bulbs in almost any type of lamp or fixture in your home or business. And CFL bulbs are available in a range of colors, including warm white light which is very similar in appearance to traditional incandescent lighting.

Incandescent bulbs use a substantial portion of the electricity they consume to generate heat in addition to light, making them inefficient. CFL bulbs are capable of producing just as much light output while creating very little heat and using much less electricity. Accordingly, CFL bulbs can save you money on both lighting and cooling energy usage.

CFL bulbs are a little more expensive than incandescents, but the upfront cost can lead to long-term savings on your electric bill and more money in your pocket. Use the Payback Analysis tool below to estimate just how much you could save by swapping out your old incandescent bulbs for new energy-efficient CFLs.

Compact Fluorescent Lamp Payback Analysis
Enter values in the yellow form fields below and click "Recalculate" to compare incandescent to CFL.
Cost of electricity:	7.9¢ per kWh
Hours that you use the lamp each day:	hours

Regular Incandescent bulb

Bulb wattage:
Cost of bulb:	$0.50
Bulb burn time:	750 hours
Estimated bulb life:	8 months
Annual energy cost:	$5.19
Total bulbs required:	13 bulbs

Compact Fluorescent bulb

Equivalent CFL bulb:	14 watts
Cost of CFL bulb:	$2.50
CFL bulb burn time:	10,000 hours
Estimated bulb life:	9.1 years
Annual energy cost:	$1.21
Total bulbs required:	1 bulb

Total cost of bulbs and energy:$53.90minus$13.56= a$40.34payback on$2.00invested!

The difference in cost between the two bulb types is$2.00.
If you invest that in a new CFL bulb now, it will put approximately$3.98back in your pocket every year, for an estimated total of$40.34during the9.1 yearlife of your investment.

That is equal to earning a221%annual return on your$2.00investment!