I was working on a proposal for a client the other day and was trying show show how all of the different efficient options would have multiple benefits. For energy efficient lighting, I was hoping to make the argument that LED’s or compact fluorescents would help reduce the heating and cooling costs as well.
Not so!
I had heard the CFL’s in Canada were actually causing heating bills to go up in the winter so I was aware that lighting might have an negative effect on heating already. I did expect for it to have a greater effect on the cooling load since the HVAC system would not have to cool the house as much since the CFL’s put off less heat than halogen or incandescent bulbs. In Atlanta- we actually have more heating hours than cooling hours. So- if you replace all of your bulbs with energy efficient bulbs that put off less heat your heating and cooling cost might actually go up if you are running your heater more than your AC.
Do not use this example as a reason to not change out your light bulbs. The energy savings in operational costs for the bulbs is still much greater than the minuscule difference in your heating and cooling costs.
If you live in Miami- or any other warm weather climate that does not require that much heating- then you get to save on cooling cost for the house and you get to save on the electrical costs to make light!
Want an even better solution? Then design the house where you can use more indirect natural daylight during the summer or cooling months so you can save on lighting costs.
For more energy saving advice or options visit our parent company at Fresh World.
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Good point. Many of our clients have dual fuel furnaces where the gas is the backup for electricity. Since gas is so cheap right now perhaps it should be the primary and not the backup until gas prices go up again.
Be it Canada, Atlanta, or Central North Carolina where I live there is absolutely no real negative heating effect possible. There is a grain of truth to the argument but on closer analysis it fails. While it is true that use of CFLs may leave the home less warm than an incandescent bulb would otherwise do 1) you are talking about electric heat which is the most expensive type of heat. A home in Canada probably uses natural gas for heating which typically costs less per kWh, so even though the lights are cooler you are saving electric kWH dollars and needing to offset that heat with natual gas heat which is cheaper, and 2) in warm months — yes even in Canada they have warm days — you save doubly with CFLs because an incandescent bulb generates heat which you have to pay extra on teh A/C to get rid of. CFLs are better all around.