Great overview by Elton Sherwin on how to take the first step towards sustainability in your home...start with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)

1. CFLs in the Sherwin Home
One Family’s Journey
www.EltonSherwin.com
Copyright © 2009 by Elton B. Sherwin

2. What Galvanized the
Sherwin Family
into Action…
The melting ice caps?
Actually, it was…

3. $506 Electric Bill

4. Sherwin Family in Menlo Park
One New Home
With basement
Tough building code
Three
TVs & DVD players
Furnaces
Two :
Stories Four
Refrigerators PCs
Pool pumps Cellphones
Girls Clock radios
Dogs Innumerable
TiVos Cordless phones
iPods Light bulbs
Rechargeable flashlights Motion detectors
AC compressors

5. And 12 Skylights

6. 12 Outdoor Motion Detectors

7. Indoors
45 Motion 12 Timers
Detectors
Guest Bathroom
Motion detector on left is from WattStopper
Available at Home Depot or at WattStopper.com

8. And One $506 Electric Bill
Even with all the motion detectors and skylights

9. Looking for the Culprit
Make sure it says EZ.
If it is not an EZ model,
it is not EZ to use.
Available at Amazon.com.
Links to many of the
products in this
presentation are posted at
www.EltonSherwin.com

10. Couldn’t Find One Culprit
Device Month
Mom's desk light $8.65
Garage rechargeable flashlight $2.79
Entry walkway lights $4.57
Honeywell HEPA - MBR - HI $8.57
Honeywell - HEPA - medium $6.94
Garage refrigerator $19.09
Instant hot water heater $4.08
Dad’s PC & 3 transformers $12.70
Mom's PC & printer $16.40

11. Need to Take Action

12. Solar
Option?
Cost of $29,822 (16 panels, $10.76/watt)
Subsidy of $9,206
Net cost is $20,616
Produce 400 kWh/month
22% of our usage
$124 savings per month
166 months (13 years) break even
Save 4,800+ lbs. CO2 per year

13. Reduce Consumption?
We were consistent
consumers
Sherwin Annual Consumption
Average Monthly Kwh
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
2005 average 2006 average

14. Part of the Problem ?

15. Reducing Consumption
Off to
Orchard Hardware & Supply
(OSH)
ACE hardware
Stanford Electric
Seven Trips to Home Depot

16. Removed 55 Bulbs

17. Bulbs Have Gotten Smaller

18. Home Depot’s Better Bulb

19. Home Depot’s Better
Bulb
Formerly called n:vision
Now called EcoSmart
Some of the pictures in this
presentation have old packaging
We tested 11
brands
Home Depot
had better bulb

20. CFLs Have Gotten Better
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 60%
brightness
105% brightness of
incandescent
Color similar to
incandescent soft
white
Elton’s score: A-

21. Many Situations
Indistinguishable

22. Nice Color

23. Large Packs Are a Deal

24. Fit Inside Most Harps

25. Cloth Lampshades
Cooler and Probably Safer

26. We use in Clip-on Shades

27. Smaller Than an Incandescent

28. Small Lamps
My daughter
didn’t notice

29. Wall Sconces

30. Even in Some “Ceiling Cans”

31. Small Amount of Accent Lighting
14 watts vs. 65 watts The animals seem happy

32. Unnecessary Fixture
That Gets Left On

33. Even Fit Some Clip-ons

34. “Red” Package
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 60% brightness
After 1 min 105%
WHITER than
incandescent soft white
Some people prefer
Useful yellow lampshades
and big rooms
Elton’s score: A-

35. Red vs. Green
Green = soft white Red = bright white
Matches
incandescent bulbs

36. Big Yellow Lampshade in Big room
Brighter
120W red +
100W red
Replaced 200W
incandescent
70% savings

37. Also Have Baby Reds
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 60%
brightness
After 1 min 105%
Color WHITER than
incandescent soft
white
Elton’s score: A-

38. Reds work well:
behind glass
with yellow
lampshades
with glaucoma

39. Who put in
all these
ceiling
cans?

40. No
wonder
we had a
$506
electric bill

41. But What Happened to the
PG&E Bill?

42. PG&E Billing
$600
$507
$500 $439
$400
$306
$300
$200
$100 Averaging $100 to $150
a month in savings
$0
December January February

43. Recommended Bulbs (A-)
70%+ Savings
Home Depot Red &
Green Spirals
Instant on No flicker
Start at 60%
brightness
After 1 min 105%
Less success with other
brands

44. Tough Problems
Ceiling Cans
Clear fixtures
Dimmers

45. Green 40w
Instant on
No flicker
Starts at 40%
brightness
After 1 min 105%
Color similar to
incandescent soft
white
Elton’s score: B-

46. Dimmer for first 30 seconds
Incandescent
Compact Fluorescent
I left two incandescent bulbs in place
so the bathroom would brighten quickly

47. After 1 minute
CFL is slightly brighter

48. Only One is Incandescent
I left one incandescent bulb in place so the kitchen island
would brighten quickly

49. Back to Our Nemesis
The Halogen
Spot

50. Best Available for Indoor
Halogen Replacements
Instant on - No flicker
Starts at 35%
brightness
After 1 min 100%
Slightly more yellow
than Halogen
Larger bulb, less
focused
Elton’s score: B-
Home Depot

51. Halogen Spot Replacement
Need a CFL Spot w/ CLEAR Glass Front
50 W or 75 W 23 W

52. Adjust Ceiling Cans Up

53. Halogen Spot Replacement
23 W
50 W or 75 W

54. Two are 23 W CFLs
One is 50 W Halogen

55. I left one halogen bulb in place so the kitchen counter
would brighten quickly

56. Inexpensive Flood
“Frosted Front” - Good in Hallways
Takes minute to get
to full brightness
Starts at 35%
brightness
Almost identical to
incandescent 65W
flood
Slightly wider beam
Adjust ceiling can
B+ for always on
Remove the dimmers

57. Best Available Dimmable Flood
Available at Ace Hardware Nice soft white color
Not instant on
Starts at 50%
brightness
Dimmer must be on
high to start
Larger bulb, less
focused
Often better to
remove dimmers
Elton’s score: C

58. On the Bleeding Edge
Ready for most homes:
Par 20s - small floods w/ standard base
Ace hardware has 3 different CFL versions
Still frustrating:
Most dimmable CFLs
MR-16 style – “flashlight” bulb w/ 2 pins
Spotlights – narrow beams
Most LEDs sold in retail
Wait a bit longer for residential applications

59. Motion Detectors & Timers
Work well with CFLs
Extend CFL life in
ceiling cans
Burn out fluorescent
tubes in magnetic
ballasts (which should
be replaced anyway)

60. Removed 20 Spots

61. Removed an Additional 25 Bulbs

62. CFLs by the Numbers
Cost $463
Subsidy (PG&E)) $145
Consumer $318
Monthly Savings:
KWH 359
Bill - $.32 KWH $111
Break even months 3
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108

63. PG&E CFL Subsidy
Paid Directly to Home Depot
I didn’t even know my bulbs were
subsidized

64. CFLs 60x Cost Efficient vs. Solar
Reducing CO2
CFL Solar
Cost $463 $29,822
Subsidy $145 $9,206
Consumer $318 $20,616
Monthly Savings:
KWH 359 400
Bill - $.31KWH $111 $124
Break even months 3 166
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304 4,800
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108 $6,213

65. Hybrid Car is up to10x Cost
Efficient vs. Solar Reducing CO2
Hybrid
CFL Solar Car
Cost $463 $29,822 $2,500
Subsidy $145 $9,206 0
Consumer $318 $20,616 $2,500
Monthly Savings: Gas
KWH or Gallons of Gas 359 400 17
Bill - $.31KWH, $2.50 gal $111 $124 $42
Break even months 3 166 60
Annual CO2 lbs reduction 4,304 4,800 4000
Cost per 1,000 lbs/year $108 $6,213 $625

66. Real-time Monitoring
Black & Decker
Power Monitor
(Also sold as the Blue Line
Power Cost Monitor)
You can install
Costs $100
6% to 20% reduction
Read all the reviews on
Amazon to make sure it is
compatible with your meter

67. Day After
Installation
At 10:10 AM.
“It says I am using
$1000 a month.”
“And nothing is on.
I turned off all the lights.
Nothing is on”

68. Except the Pool Pump
We were spending $1,000 a year moving
water around

69. We bought an
IntelliFlo pump
Spent $2,500
Uses 1/8 the
electricity
Some are now
under $1,200
www.pentairpool.com

70. Impact of Sherwin Pool Pump on
Global Climate

71. Useful Tools
Smart
Power
Strips
For more information see
www.EltonSherwin.com

72. Smart Power Strips
For more information see www.EltonSherwin.com

73. We all focus on electricity
Electricity is the largest part of our
utility bill
But electricity is not the biggest
part of the carbon footprint for
many Californians

74. 60% Natural
Gas

75. Don’t Forget
Solar
Hot Water
The Phoenix hot water hearer was the most efficient tank tested in the PG&E lab

76. Six items Dominate Sherwin
Family Carbon Footprint
Air travel
The “stuff” we buy*
Gasoline
Natural gas (for you it might be propane, heating
oil, or wood)
Electricity
Beef and dairy
Focus on these six first
* This includes the electricity we use to run the product and the energy
used to manufacture, transport and dispose of it.

77. A Word About Commercial Lighting
Lighting is the #1 or #2 Largest User of Electricity
in Most Buildings in America
Houston Skyline

78. Commercial Lighting
44% of the
Electricity in
Health Care
Facilities is
Lighting

80. Incandescent Bulbs Still Widely Used
60+ Coal-
fired plants
domestically
250+ Coal-
fired plants
worldwide
Halogen spots and MR16s continue to be popular

81. Local Retail Done Correctly
Draegers – Menlo Park
Over 1,000 bulbs replaced
2 month break even
Northface – in Palo Alto
Test location for their retail stores

82. Fluorescent Tubes Good Better BEST
A word about fluorescent tubes: NARROWER IS BETTER
Never use magnetic ballasts.
Electronic ballasts are quieter, more efficient, and eliminate flicker.

83. Good Better BEST
Electronic vs. Magnetic
Ballasts (for tubes)
Electronic ballasts are more efficient than
magnetic ballasts … resulting in an overall lamp-
ballast system efficacy increase of 15% to 20%.
Other advantages of the electronic ballast
include reduced weight, quieter operation, and
reduced lamp flicker. Electronic ballasts are
directly interchangeable with magnetic ballasts.
(From LBNL website)
You should always use electronic ballasts,
especially with motion detectors.

84. 84% of a Building’s Carbon
Footprint Comes from its Utility Bill

85. Utilities are #1 Emitters of
Greenhouse Gases in America
84% of a Building’s Carbon Footprint Comes
from its Utility Bill
Lighting
Windows
HVAC
Hot Water
PCs & Appliances
Focus on Your Utility Bill

86. Many LEED Buildings Fall Short
“LEED certification is not yielding
any significant reduction in GHG
emission by commercial
buildings.”
John H. Scofield,
Oberlin College
A Re-examination of the NBI LEED Building Energy Consumption
Study

87. If You Want to Be Green
Lower the Utility Bill
Lighting
Windows
HVAC
Hot Water
PCs & Appliances
And:
• Eat less beef
• Use less gasoline
For more information see
• Shop wisely
www.EltonSherwin.com
• Don’t fly to useless meetings