The small frugal changes we make to our lifestyle eventually add up to big savings. A coupon here. A light bulb there. I believe every penny counts.
A few years ago, I switched out the majority of the light bulbs in our home to CFL’s. They are not my favorite, but they do save money in the long run. Since incandescent bulbs will eventually be phased out completely, a switch is inevitable. But the mercury is a concern, along with the hassle of recycling those funny coiled bulbs.
Enter a new alternative – the halogen bulb, now available from Sylvania. The Sylvania halogen SUPERSAVER light bulb emits the same bright white light as regular incandescent bulbs, but uses up to 33% less energy.
Did I mention they are also mercury-free? Huge plus for worried moms like me! With a familiar shape and dimmable features, these bulbs can also fit easily into pre-existing accent lights, track lights, or other fixtures, making them a great transition light bulb for families.
I recently replaced the annoyingly dim bulb in my family room lamp with a 43-watt Sylvania bulb. It is the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent, and just as bright. Pretty impressive!
Sylvania Supersavers are available at Menards, BJ’s and even on Amazon. Prices start at $4.29 for a 2 pack.
You can also take Sylvania’s 40 For the Future Earth Day Challenge for a chance to win daily prizes and learn more about energy-efficient changes we can make at home. What will you do to save energy this month?
Disclosure: I received a 2 pack of bulbs and a gift card to participate in this blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Sylvania. As always, all thoughts and words are my own.
For more frugal ways, visit Life As Mom and Mrs. Moneysaver
These light bulbs sound fantastic! I use the CFL’s, but the mercury scares me half-to-death, too. This is a wonderful alternative. I’m also glad to see they can be purchased on Amazon, as I do not have a Menard’s or BJ’s anywhere near me!
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My husband just bought some of these. I love the fact that they are mercury free. I like the light on these much better than some of the others that we have used.
Awesome! I have been dragging my feet on changing completely over to the CFL’s mostly for that reason (and that I don’t like the government telling me which light bulbs I have to use).
This info really ‘brightens’ my day! 😉
~traci
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Oh, this sounds so cool! We had a whole long discussion about it http://frugalplayground.com/?p=578 and I came to the conclusion of NOT buying CFL’s. I’ll give these a try, thanks!
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Do these new Halogen bulbs get very hot, Alyssa? I remember the old halogen floor lamp that I got rid of because bugs land on the light bulb and then start cooking (with a nice little stream of smoke rising rising up). These bulbs sounds awesome, but I wouldn’t want to burn my lampshades.
Kim,
Yes, I do remember I had a halogen torchier lamp where that was the case. These bulbs are quite different from the floor lamp style.
I went and compared the heat factor of a regular incandescent bulb to the new halogen after your comment and I truly do not notice much of a difference at all. They are both hot!
Great question, by the way, I did not even think to check the heat factor! I love your geeky mind. 😛
Thanks for posting about this ’cause I use one of the coily ones in my office and I thought I got the wrong wattage or something ’cause it’s so dim. It’s good to know there is an alternative that’s safe, green and cost effective. Cool post.
Yes, I too have read that they burn hotter and that could be a concern. As with anything, there are always pros and cons so I would recommend researching to further your knowledge, which is what I always do if I see one-sided info about something.
Thanks for the advertisement though, it’s nice to see the options and that there is some “middle ground” between the inefficient bulbs and the CFL bulbs containing mercury. That is a real concern with me as well, and I had actually recently decided to switch back since we had a scare with a bulb almost breaking.
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Read about why these light bulbs are dangerous to your health and why you should not have them in your house especially if you have children in the home in the January 2010 Prevention magazine article “Electroshocker.” CFL’s are considers “dirty electricity.”
Hi Elaine,
I just checked out the article you recommended. I was not aware that CFL’s are now considered dangerous. That is really good to know, and it was an eye-opening article.
However, the bulbs I tried are halogen, an alternative to CFL’s that still saves money. I did some extra research after my post, and overall, they do seem like a much safer alternative to CFL’s.
I can’t wait to give these bulbs a try! As a side note, I did a lot of research on CFL’s. Elaine can you provide a link to the article? From what I have read, they do contain mercury, but about 1% of the amount that is in a mercury thermometer. And I know plenty of us grew up with those in our house. You do have to take some precautions if they break, but no HazMat team is required. I just think the “danger” level can be a bit overdone. But if there is more recent research on them I would love to see it.
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Since you’ve been using those bulbs for awhile now, have you noticed that they get extra hot? Remember those old halogen lamps that were a fire hazard back in the day?
.-= Kimberly´s last blog ..Free CFL bulbs?! =-.
Oh shoot, nevermind I see someone else already asked about that.
.-= Kimberly´s last blog ..Free CFL bulbs?! =-.
Like many of you, halogen bulbs are my current #1 bulb. They give off a warm light that is much better than CFLs. I never liked CFLs because they have to many limitations. They burn our quickly if they are turned on and off multiple times a day, they don’t like the cold and their color stinks. I’ll probably switch straight from halogens to LEDs once the price goes down. I wasn’t impressed much with LEDs either until I saw one of the new Toshiba 16P30S/827/FL32. They are pretty impressive! I didn’t even know Toshiba made light bulbs!
love this! It’s so true that small changes, like switching out light bulbs, can really add up over time. I especially appreciate the mercury-free aspect of the Sylvania Halogen Lamps— that’s a big plus for both the environment and peace of mind. Plus, it’s great that they use less energy while still providing the same bright light as regular incandescent bulbs. It’s nice to see a product that’s not only cost-effective but also better for the planet. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for these lamps the next time I need replacements!