As you may know, the second annual Earth Hour occurred between eight and nine on Saturday night. The iconic Opera House in Sydney, Rome’s Colluseum, and the Sears Tower went dark, as did the homes of an estimated thirty million people. Across the globe, people, governments, and corporations joined together to express concern for the earth’s climate by turning off lights for one hour. Their goal was to show that consumers can reduce carbon emissions through conservation.

An article from The Irish Times reported that the country’s energy use dropped by 50 megawatts between 6:30 and 9:00 PM. A spokesperson for Eirgird, the national utility provider, stated that one megawatt hour translates to an average hour of energy use for 650 homes. He added that one megawatt of continuous use translates to 400 kilogrammes, or .44 tons of Co2 emissions. By working together, then, Earth Hour participants in Ireland prevented 286 tons of Co2 from being released to the atmosphere. DLK will keep you updated on the international Earth Hour results.

But switching to LED lights or CFL lights makes sense even if you don’t believe in Global Warming or the usefulness of Earth Hour. Regardless of your political views, you’ll save money by choosing non-incandescent bulbs. As this report states, CFL and LED users save money over the long run, although the initial bulb investment may seem high.

LED lights are the most cost-effective choice, as they can go as many as 60,000 before needing replacement. Check out DLK’s selection of Leflectors and desk lamps to kick off your household’s switch to earth- and pocketbook-friendly bulbs.

Finally, if you’re still craving more ways to personally slow global warming, here are a few tips from Ireland’s energy provider on how to make the ethos of Earth Hour last:

• Change to CFL or LED light bulbs.

• Ensure new appliances are as efficient as possible;

• Switch off computer monitors when not in use;

• Don’t leave your mobile phone charger plugged in when not in use as it can use power even when the handset is not being charged;

• Don’t use dishwashers or washing machines during weekday evenings (5-7pm);

• Don’t leave your immersion water heater on all the time. Use a timer and lagging jacket insulation;

• Clean your light fittings, reflectors and lampshades regularly.

Click here for a DLK article on incorporating LED bulbs in your home.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 1:57 am and is filed under LED News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.