The Average Australian Home...

...has 21 light bulbs, according to a story on tonight's news. I just did a count and, guess what? Our home has exactly 21 light bulbs. I guess I can honestly say that I live in "an average Australian home."

There was a reason for the news story, by the way. In a world first, the Australian government is phasing out the manufacture and use of ordinary light bulbs. Over the next two years they'll be replaced by fluorescent alternatives which will greatly reduce the greenhouse emissions/global warming thing. By 2009 we will all be using the safer, cooler, more energy-efficient model and the old ones will be banned.

I love my country.

Labels: Australian life

posted by Bronwyn Jameson @ 6:54 PM

Comments:

It is great that Australia is doing this to help the environment.

posted by

CrystalG : 12:41 AM

Bron, I read this in our national newspaper here in NZ too. It's a great initiative.

I think the 21 lightbulbs might be pre-downlight days. We have four downlights in most of our rooms, five in some, two in others. We've been changing our house over to the energy saver bulbs as the old ones blow and overall it makes a difference to the power bill too. Trouble is, if the power company's not earning as much because we're not using as much, they just go and increase the price anyway. Very mean.

posted by

Yvonne Lindsay : 8:24 AM

Recently my sister and bil redid their bathrooms. When they redid them they replaced the three toilets with these more water efficient one and she noticed the water bill is almost half

posted by

christa : 1:42 AM

I couldn't find anything on the average number of bulbs in US houses, though it could be larger, since houses are probably larger. I figuredd about 32 here. 75% of those are the new flourescents, since we did the energy saving home improvement plan a few years ago where they came and tested the house's energy use, and we made updates to lower it, and then they gave us 100 energy saving lightbulbs. :) Some of them don't fit in outdoors or places like our dining room lamp, though, that uses chandelier bulbs, but other than that, we're all flourescent. It's been 3 years and we haven't had to change any of these bulbs -- didn't think of it until you mentioned it.

I know some states are starting to work up laws to mandate usage of them, but it will be a slow changeoever, and probably the only way to make people stop using the old ones, because they are so cheap, is to stop making them.

Sam

posted by

Samantha Hunter : 5:02 AM

Ahh, but I'm so rustic, Yvonne. I still live in the pre-downlight days. (But then I'm still on dial-up, too.)

Sam, you are my hero with your energy-saving home plans. Am also pleased to hear that these lights are so durable and save on power.

Bron

posted by

Bronwyn Jameson : 4:36 PM

Hi Bronwyn,

I would advise you to do a little research into the kind of energy bulbs that come onto the market.
We have had the same kind of energy savings drive over here in South Africa but recently a few articles have appeared in the papers that the new flourescent tube bulbs have a small amount of mercury in them and if they are not properly disposed of, they can be hazardous to people and the enviroment.

Carol

posted by

Carol Thompson : 7:37 PM

Thanks for the tip, Carol. I definitely will be doing more reading and research on this. At the moment I've only heard this news story about the legislation and gradual change-over.

posted by

Bronwyn Jameson : 10:42 PM

I just counted and I have 11 light bulbs in the apartment. This is not counting the two long flourescent tubes in the kitchen and I have this lamp that hangs from the ceiling and the bulb keeps burning out. I haven't replaced in like 6 months(I got another stand up one and it fits nicely underneath. I guess I should just get rid of the hanging one but the cord is great for hanging stuff on

posted by

christa : 2:00 AM