Buy better bulbs

Do you still have any of these in your house?

MrsB assures me that these old-style filament lightbulbs are very rare in Hong Kong nowadays, and that everyone knows about the benefits of compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs. But I see that Wellcome and Park n Shop still give shelf space to the old-style bulbs, so someone must be buying them. If you know that someone, how about persuading them to make a belated new year's resolution, and switch to CF this year?

The new CF bulbs are slightly more expensive to buy, but more than pay for themselves with the savings they give you:

  • lower electricity bills (They use less than a third of the electricity that an old filament bulb needs to give the same amount of light. Plus they produce around 70% less heat, which helps reduce Aircon usage in summer.)
  • longer-lasting (They last around 8-12 times longer than the old-style bulb, so you don't have to replace them as often)

You get to do your bit for the environment too, as using less electricity means causing less pollution, and less lightbulbs mean less landfill.

If you represent Wellcome or Park n Shop, how about a resolution to stop selling the old-style bulbs in your stores this year? It'll have minimal effects on your sales, help the environment, and bring you some positive PR all at the same time.

MrB

PS More facts & figures here.