Apartments, when rented to new tenants, are supplied with either fluorescent or compact fluorescent (CF) light bulbs in all fixtures, which can be so equipped.Those light bulbs will be replaced free of charge during the first 6 months of your tenancy.After that time, if a fluorescent bulb burns out, it will be replaced with another fluorescent for the fee of $1.50 per bulb.The tenant must save the existing fluorescent bulb to obtain this rate for replacement (which is often less than the cost of a new bulb).Most bulbs are replaced with bulbs, which use 13 watts of electricity or less (but provide the same amount of light/lumens of a standard bulb which uses 60 watts of electricity).Using fluorescent bulbs provides at least two significant benefits over standard bulbs.They use less electricity (usually less that 25% of a standard bulb) and they emit less heat, thereby requiring air conditioning to run less to cool the room/s.An air conditioner, which runs less, saves electricity as well as extends the life of the air conditioner.On-site manager will provide a ladder to change bulbs or, if requested, change bulbs for tenant when necessary.Any outdoor bulb which burns out will be replaced with a compact fluorescent bulb whenever and wherever possible at no cost to tenant.Ceiling fans, which use standard light bulbs, will be equipped with compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs in all sockets when rented to new tenants.[NOTES:At the present time, compact fluorescent bulbs cannot be dimmed without burning out the bulb or fixture.No switches, which switch lights utilizing CF bulbs, are dimmable.If a fixture is equipped with a fluorescent bulb, and the tenant requests a standard bulb instead, if possible and practical, onsite manager will replace bulb with a standard bulb at no charge during first 6 months of tenancy.For example, some persons request a standard bulb in a fixture, which provides light in a bathroom where the color (or type) of light has a specific effect on lighting (i.e. applying makeup, etc.).]
Ceiling Fans
Many rooms are equipped with ceiling fans with lights.Ceiling fans can be run in both the summer and winter to save on cooling and heating costs, and provide additional comfort in the apartment.The direction of rotation of the ceiling fan should be switched from summer cooling to winter heating.Onsite manager will either provide ladder to make this switch, or, if requested, make this adjustment for the tenant.During winter heating season, ceiling fan should be run on low rotation.
Maintenance:Many ceiling fans have a slight amount of wobble at higher speeds.Onsite manager will not attempt to correct this wobble, nor will s/he replace the fixture if deemed operable.If a tenant breaks a glass globe for a ceiling light, the tenant may be required to replace ALL GLOBES at his/her expense if a matching globe cannot be found.Onsite manager will also provide a specialized cleaning brush to clean ceiling fan blades if requested by tenant.
At times, we are able to use some items from Ecostores. Ecostores is located on West P Street just a couple of blocks west off of Sun Valley Blvd (not far from Sun Valley Lanes).
You can browse, purchase, and/or donate at Ecostores. They are happy to provide a very official DONATION RECEIPT so you can take a tax write off on your donations.
I asked an Ecostores staff member where the concept for the Ecostores located here in Lincoln NE. This is a brief statement based on what I recall from the conversation. If it is incorrect, don't hesitate to contact me and I will do my best to update my description.
A former UNL Architecture Professor started Ecostore about 5 years ago.
This is the Ecostores website link if you are curious.
http://ecostoresne.org/
Energy Efficient Substitutes For Incandescent Bulbs from Smarthome.com
Homeowners today are shifting towards more cost efficient and eco-friendly solutions for managing energy consumption in their homes. Proper lighting improves the appearance and safety of a home both inside and out, yet it can also account for nearly 25% of a home's electricity. Most people don’t realize that the standard incandescent bulbs they’ve been using for years are only 10% efficient; meaning only 10% of the electricity they use is transferred into light and the rest into heat! Fortunately, the push for a greener way of life has brought rise to two major alternative options for standard incandescent light bulbs: the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and a light emitting diode light bulb (LED). Knowing what to look for and the difference between the two will help the average consumer save energy dollars each month. CFL Lighting As a replacement for your average screw in light bulb, CFL bulbs are an excellent option. In simplest terms, CFLs are a miniature version of the common fluorescent light, using an electrical current to make phosphor gas glow. Older CFLs use magnetic ballasts which usually cause a delay and/or flicker when they are turned on, however most new CFLs use electronic ballasts that eliminate this. When compared to incandescent bulbs, CFLs are approximately four times as efficient; a 25 Watt CFL will have the same light output as a 100 Watt incandescent. They also last up to 10 times longer, meaning that over the life of a standard CFL, you would expect to have used 10 incandescent bulbs. Unlike a regular fluorescent light, a CFL gives off light that looks just like a standard incandescent. Choosing the bulb design that best suits the application is also a factor; available form factors include spiral, triple tube, standard, globe, flood and candelabra style bulbs to name a few. While the purchase price of a CFL is typically 3 to 10 times greater than that of an equivalent incandescent bulb, over the lifespan of the bulb you can expect a large return on energy savings (see comparison chart below). Continuously turning a CFL bulb on and off, or exposure to outdoor elements, can reduce the expected life span, so consider where you will be using them. While dimmable CFLs and CFLs that can be used with timers are available, they may not always work with dimmer switches, dimmer modules, or timers. Lastly, CFL bulbs contain trace amounts of mercury which is a toxic metal, and although they can be disposed of in your regular trash, caution should be taken if a bulb is broken in your home.
LED Lighting Recently, advances in technology have given rise to LED lighting as a replacement for the traditional incandescent bulb. LEDS are small, solid light bulbs which drive their light in one direction or in cones of varying width depending on the bulb design. Traditionally this type of directional lighting has been used for task lighting, flashlights and headlamps. However, grouping these light in clusters and applying new designs have led to the LED as an extremely energy efficient replacement for the standard incandescent bulb. An LED style bulb will generally last approximately 100 times as long as an incandescent; meaning that over the life of a standard LED style bulb, you would expect to have used 100 incandescent bulbs! When compared to incandescent bulbs, LEDs are approximately six times as efficient; in simplest terms a 16 Watt LED style bulb will have the same light output as a 100 Watt incandescent. An LED style bulb can be upward of 50 to 100 times the cost of standard incandescent bulb (although costs continue to drop), but you can expect a large return on your investment do to the lifespan and energy savings when compared to an incandescent bulb (see comparison chart below). Another great feature of LED style bulbs are their durability; because they don’t have a filament they can withstand jarring and bumping making them less likely to be damaged under circumstances when a regular incandescent bulb would be broken. When used with a dimmer, LED bulbs can brighten and dim fairly consistently from 30% brightness up. They will also work well with most timers. On the low end, instead of going completely off, LEDs tend to exhibit a slight glow due to the small amount of current that LEDs require to illuminate. Because this type of alternative lighting is still at the beginning stages, you can expect the capabilities of LED style bulbs to grow.
Understanding Lumens When replacing a standard incandescent bulb with a CFL or an LED as an alternative, one of the most important factors to understand is lumens. A lumen is a measurement of how many foot-candles of light a bulb puts out in a square foot of area…or in laymen’s terms, how bright a bulb is. Many CFL and LED bulbs are misleading, whether intentional or unintentional, when describing the bulbs they replace. If you want a CFL or and LED bulb to replace your existing incandescent, make sure that the lumens match up.
Comparison Chart
Bulb Type
Lumens
Watts
Investment
Consumption
Energy Cost
Total Cost
Incandescent ($1 ea x 100)
1600
100
$100.00
10000 kWh
$1,000.00
$1,100.00
CFL ($10 ea x 10)
1600
25
$100.00
2500 kWh
$250.00
$350.00
LED ($100 ea x 1)
1600
15
$100.00
1500 kWh
$150.00
$250.00
Investment based on:
·Incandescent: $1.00 per bulb x 100 bulbs to equal the lifespan of one LED style bulb
·CFL: $10.00 per bulb x 10 bulbs to equal the lifespan of one LED style bulb
·LED: $100.00 per bulb equal to 100,000 hour lifespan
Consumption based on:
·Kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy used over the course of 100,000 hours
·Energy Cost based on
·10 cents per kWh average fee from utility company
Synopsis Incandescent bulbs still make up a majority of the light bulbs in homes today, but as more people become energy and environmentally conscious, both the CFL and the LED bulbs are well suited alternatives. Over the long term an LED style bulb will save you the most money although the initial cost may seem high. The good news is that LED bulbs last for 10 years or more. The CFL bulb will save you nearly as much as an LED style Bulb with a fraction of the investment. Consider the placement and how you will be using each of your bulbs and a combination of the two alternatives will be rewarding over the long haul, not just in your pocket book but also for the planet.
FACT: If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.
REVISION
Added by John at 1414 C.NOTE:Prices of CFLs continue to DROP.In time, similar (?) drops are expected in LEDs.Table has been revised to show more realistic costs of incandescents (0.50each) and CFLs ($2 each).LED prices are recently available at WalMart for sub $10 prices for many sizes (somehwhatlimited availability).Chart shows $10 each which is 1/10th the amount from the original article.
Bulb Type [REVISED]
Lumens
Watts
Investment
Consumption
Energy Cost
Total Cost
Incandescent ($0.50 ea x 100)
1600
100
$50.00
10000 kWh
$1,000.00
$1,050.00
CFL($2 ea x 10)
1600
25
$20.00
2500 kWh
$250.00
$270.00
LED ($10 ea x 1)
1600
15
$10.00
1500 kWh
$150.00
$160.00
REVISED:Investment based on:
·Incandescent: $0.50 per bulb x 100 bulbs to equal the lifespan of one LED style bulb
·CFL: $2.00 per bulb x 10 bulbs to equal the lifespan of one LED style bulb
·LED: $10.00 per bulb equal to 100,000 hour lifespan
Due to the continued drop in the price of CFLs, the difference in saving between LED and CFLs over the lifetime of the bulb is negligible (discounting the cost of changing the bulbs etc (which favors LEDs)).
NEWS FLASH JANUARY 2009
During the winter of 2008/2009, the local WalMarts began stocking LED light bulbs for less than $10. This is 1/10th the cost originally suggested in the article. We are evaluating a select number of bulbs. One concern is the number of lumens (brightness) of the LED bulbs. Regardless, one distinct advantage is the LACK of heat output from the LED bulbs. In summer, this means your AC should be running less when rooms are lit with LED bulbs vs rooms which are lit with incandescent bulbs.
