Made in Wellsboro: Alternative to mercury-laced CFLs from abroad

A chorus of innovative voices in Wellsboro is crying out as America lights up with compact florescent bulbs from Asia.

"Our Super Saver halogen bulb is an incandescent bulb with a filament that lights up inside a capsule filled with inert gas," says Mortimer. "We make it on our existing equipment, and the development of the bulb has been important for the economy in Wellsboro."Mortimer says that the halogen bulbs are increasingly being marketed on the shelves of major home improvement stores, such as Lowe's. Competition is steep, because these retailers also offer CFLs from Asia, which Mortimer insists are made without environmental regulations and using ultra-cheap labor. Sylvania is also selling its own line of CFLs.America's light bulb replacement saga accelerated when Washington passed the Energy Independence and Security Act. This legislation set light-per-watt-thresholds which ordinary incandescent products cannot achieve, and the CFL bulb - familiar to us now by its swirling shape - from Asia quickly became the most readily accessible replacement.Now in its fourth year, the annual conference brings together thousands of labor, environmental, business, elected and community leaders and is billed as the "nation's leading forum for sharing ideas and strategies to build a green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and confronts other environmental problems, and preserves America's economic and environmental security."Halogen bulbs are fully dimmable, require no warm-up time, and do not emit blue light radiation, which may cause health concerns for some individuals. The halogen bulbs also do not contain any mercury, and are therefore are not classified as hazardous waste.Annual conferenceThe huge market shift to compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) is occurring because familiar incandescent bulbs are being phased out. The Pennsylvania dissenters to that change, who are based at OSRAM Sylvania's Wellsboro facility, declare that they have created an economical alternative to CFL.In fact, the EPA has a strict process it urges consumers to follow should a CFL bulb break. The protocol includes clearing the room of people and pets; airing the room for five to 10 minutes; shutting off a central forced air heating/air-conditioning system; and being "thorough" in collecting broken glass and visible powder and being sure to place the shards in a sealable container that promptly goes outdoors.Mortimer also met with several members of Congress and their staff members as part of the "BlueGreen Alliance Green Jobs Advocacy Day" on Feb. 10. Subjects discussed included renewable electricity standards, incentives for clean energy manufacturing and green job creation.Familiar technologiesA comprehensive domestic supply chain operated by OSRAM Sylvania, with hundreds of American employees, is making the mass production of the halogen bulbs possible. The wire for the bulbs is being manufactured at a plant in St. Marys (Elk County); the metal bases in York; the glass vessels in Wellsboro; and the halogen elements in Kentucky.American operationThe new OSRAM Sylvania creation, dubbed the "Super Saver halogen bulb," is different. It sports a traditional pear shape and can be used in almost any standard incandescent application - but it is 30 percent more efficient than its incandescent predecessors. And you don't have to go into lock-down mode to clean up a broken bulb.Mortimer presented the Sylvania halogen technology at the 2011 Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference in Washington, D.C.Mortimer says that the halogen bulb offers a series of advantages over CFLs. Light quality is measured in a color rendering index (CRT), with a higher number more closely resembling the sun's rays. The halogen light bulb has a CRI rating of 100, while the CFL rating is approximately 80.OSRAM Sylvania, a Siemens company, has international affiliations, but its glass manufacturing plant in Wellsboro has long manufactured incandescent bulbs right here in NEPA. In fact, the Tioga County facility is the birthplace of the ribbon machine used to mass produce the bulbs that made Thomas Edison famous. The machine, which is still in use after being modernized over the years by employees (and duplicated around the world), has been named a "Mechanical Engineering Landmark," recognizing it as an invention that changed history. The ribbon machine was revolutionary because it allowed bulb glass to be machine-manufactured, instead of hand blown.Average retail cost of the outgoing incandescent bulbs is approximately 25 cents each. The halogen bulbs sell for $1 to $2 each, easily comparable to CFLs. Both of these replacement approaches offer substantially longer operating lives than incandescent lighting."Compact fluorescent bulbs should be recycled, instead of being disposed of in landfills," says Mortimer. "But they will often reach landfills because there are no convenient methods of recycling them."Advancing technology will eventually offer another cost-effective replacement to incandescent bulbs. Light-emitting diode (LED) lamps are solid-state units that can generate substantial light when used in an array, but Mortimer believes that mass applications of these will continue to lag due to high costs.Barry Mortimer, precision parts inspector at OSRAM Sylvania, also serves as the United Steelworkers rapid response congressional coordinator. He explains that the term "halogen" is familiar to consumers because halogen-type headlamps are common in many modern automobiles, and halogen floodlights are used in residential outdoor lighting systems.

Mortimer also met with several members of Congress and their staff members as part of the "BlueGreen Alliance Green Jobs Advocacy Day" on Feb. 10. Subjects discussed included renewable electricity standards, incentives for clean energy manufacturing and green job creation.

Don't pay more for green

Gone are the days of premium-priced green products

Products containing formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, and there is a concerted push to remove it from building products, or to have it emit at dramatically reduced levels. Formaldehyde-free products - batt insulation for example - are now widely available at commodity prices.All structures should use two categories for determining how green they are: toxicity and sustainability of their components; and the performance outcome of the thermal envelope. Freely available on the Web and in trade journals, you can obtain high-performance thermal envelope designs that can - when properly built - dramatically reduce fuel consumption for heating and cooling. These designs can be implemented at slight increment costs - costs that can easily return the investment in fuel savings in under five years.THE STRUCTURECarpet. Green carpet - compliant with national and/or state indoor air quality standards - is widely available for commodity pricing. If you want pesticide-free woven New Zealand wool carpets, you will pay a bit more, but that will soon change as well.Ever hear the phrase "Design, at scale, is free"? Essentially, it means if you create one-offs and prototypes, you will need to charge for those products at exorbitant one-off and prototype prices. But if you design an innovation and mass produce it, at scale, you can sell it at mass-produced rates.Lumber/wood fiber. Nearly all wood fiber in North America falls under some sustainable harvest third-party standard (FSC, SFI, ATF, PERC or CSA), so you are probably buying green wood whether you know it or not. However, the only one of these that sells at a true premium is FSC. Suffice it to say there are green alternative products available in nearly every sector, and prices are clearly trending toward commodity levels.Green building was perceived as either an endeavor for hippies whose green projects looked like something from the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie set. Or it was perceived as custom trophy homes whose owners bragged their innovations saved 30 percent on their fuel costs, even though it meant conditioning an 8,000-sq.ft. space for two people with 3,000 gal. of fuel each year.JOHN D. WAGNER is an award-winning author of many books and articles about construction, and a frequent contributor to the industry's leading trade magazines. A sought-after speaker for industry events, he can be contacted at JohnDWagner.com. Read past columns at rdbmagazine.com.BUILDING PRODUCTSToday, especially over the past five years, we enjoy the benefits of green product design at scale. In nearly every product area, manufacturers no longer charge high prices for exotics or prototypes; instead, they charge commodity prices for products that would have been four or five times more expensive a few years ago, and 10 times more expensive 25 years ago.When I first started writing about green building in 1988 - when we called green building "energy efficient building" - building a green structure cost decidedly more. The new-to-market CFL light bulbs cost upward of $12 each (they are now $0.99). "Natural" paints were $50 a gallon (they are now $15), and cans of spray foam cost three times what they sell for today.So, does it cost more to go green? It can, but it doesn't have to. With design-at-scale green building products and thermal envelope designs, you can build economically and responsibly for any budget.In fact, 20 years ago, average consumers and homes were frozen out of green building for reasons of cost, not for reasons of desire. When asked: "Do you want to burn less fuel and live in a home free of toxins?" Most people would surely answer yes. But if the follow-up question is "Will you pay $20,000 more for that privilege?", most people couldn't afford to answer yes, even if they wanted to.

JOHN D. WAGNER is an award-winning author of many books and articles about construction, and a frequent contributor to the industry's leading trade magazines. A sought-after speaker for industry events, he can be contacted at JohnDWagner.com. Read past columns at rdbmagazine.com.

/C O R R E C T I O N — One Change/

In the news release, One Change Project Porchlight Campaign Announces Volunteer-led Effort Delivering More Than 1.5 Million Energy Efficient Light Bulbs in New Jersey, issued 02-Jun-2011 by One Change over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that the last sentence of the second paragraph should read "As part of the fourth phase, the campaign will visit more than 45 communities and distribute CFL bulbs door-to-door as well as at 150 local community events" rather than " As part of the fourth phase, the campaign will visit more than 45 communities and distribute CFL bulbs door-to-door as well as at 150 local community events, including a 'Green Day at the Park' during a game at the Newark Bears Riverfront Stadium along with Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker on Saturday, June 4" as originally issued inadvertently. The complete, corrected release follows:

CALDWELL, N.J., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One Change (www.onechange.org) today announced that volunteers will be distributing more than 185,000 complimentary energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to New Jersey residents as part of the fourth phase of its Project Porchlight campaign. The goal of the campaign, which is funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the Clean Energy Program (TM), is to encourage individuals to use CFL bulbs to save energy and money. Upon completion of the campaign, more than 1.5 million CFL bulbs will have been distributed across the state, helping residents save more than $86 million on their electricity bills and removing the equivalent of more than 61,000 cars from local roads.One Change is an award-winning not-for-profit, non-partisan charitable organization and 501(c)3 foundation with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and project offices throughout Canada and the United States. One Change delivers innovative community-based social marketing campaigns aimed at delivering conversations to empower people to adopt money-saving, environmentally friendly behaviors. To date, One Change has engaged over 14,000 volunteers and 3,400 community groups in more than 1,200 communities across North America; and has delivered over 3.7 million free energy conservation measures alongside its Simple actions matter(TM) message. For more information, visit www.onechange.org.Project Porchlight is spearheaded by One Change, a nonprofit organization that organizes innovative community-based social marketing campaigns across North America to engage and empower individuals to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviors. Since 2008, One Change staff and more than 2,600 volunteers have distributed approximately 1.35 million bulbs to over 360 communities in New Jersey. As part of the fourth phase, the campaign will visit more than 45 communities and distribute CFL bulbs door-to-door as well as at 150 local community events.As part of its outreach efforts, One Change will be visiting neighborhoods in Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Cape May, Jersey City, New Brunswick and Woodbridge, among others. More information is available online at www.projectporchlight.com.One Change Project Porchlight Campaign Announces Volunteer-led Effort Delivering More Than 1.5 Million Energy Efficient Light Bulbs in New Jersey"Project Porchlight has been an immensely successful campaign that has allowed us to engage directly with New Jersey residents to showcase how simple actions - such as replacing a traditional light bulb with a CFL bulb - can make an impact," said One Change founder and president, Stuart Hickox. "We are grateful for the strong response we have received from residents and are proud to continue our work with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the Clean Energy Program to encourage even more individuals to become environmentally responsible in their daily lives."About One ChangeInnovative Campaign to Help Residents Save More than $86 Million in Electricity Costs and Improve Air QualityCFL bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to seven years longer, helping to save more than $30 in energy costs over the life of each bulb. Information regarding the proper disposal of CFL bulbs can be found at www.earth911.org. For more information about New Jersey's Clean Energy Program(TM), please visit www.NJCleanEnergy.com.

SOURCE One Change

Compact Fluorescent Lamp: Helping You Save Cash, Save Power And Safeguard The Planet

Let�s face it, the economy and the cost of living today was not the same twelve months ago. It had been, for many, a rather drastic change in economic climate. Major fiscal institutions have closed up, many small and medium businesses have filed for bankruptcy, and financial analysts have forecasted it will hang around for quite some time.

Another noteworthy feature of fluorescent lights is that they use less mercury than a halogen light, for instance, making disposal much easier. It was noted, in a coal-powered plant, that one 60 watt incandescent bulb needs 13.6 mg while only 3.3 mg is needed for a fluorescent bulb; thus there is a significant reduction in mercury emissions in coal-powered plants which are the major source of mercury.So use fluorescent lights whenever possible instead of incandescent bulbs. By doing so, you are saving up on your money in these hard times which can surely help you budget your finances and on a bigger perspective, do your part in lessening the impacts of climate change.Start replacing your incandescent lights at home as well as the office. It will require some upfront investment because low energy bulbs cost more than G9 light bulbs but in the long run, it will cost you less in electricity bills and maintenance. You will not have to change your bulbs as often as you used to since they get dimmer after a long use.Incandescent lights such as halogen bulbs when compared to fluorescent lights have no significant difference in lighting output (measured in lumen) but there is a substantial distinction between the wattage, your G9 light bulb may be costing you more once you change over to fluorescent. Less wattage means less energy used, less electrical bill, and a big contribution to saving energy for the planet.For the average household, this means tightening the belt a little bit more, cutting down on the expenses, and apply cost cutting measures to save up. The budget may need to have a complete makeover and a cut back on some luxuries to make room for the essentials.To save on your electrical bill, one of the smartest decisions you can do is replace your lights with compact fluorescent lamps or CFL�s. They can give the same amount of light compared to incandescent lights but they use less power and can also last longer. But the downside with these low energy bulbs is that they cost more than incandescent lights. You will have to invest some to save more, so to speak, once you see the latest bill after installing CFL�s around the house, and then you�ll know it was a worthwhile investment. They also have a longer lifespan, lasting up to seven years based on an average household use.This may mean enforcing some rules around the house like switching the lights off when not in use, pulling the plug of electrical appliances when you�re done, and using some practical energy saving tips not only to save money on the electrical bill but a way to contribute in saving the planet as well.It would also be your contribution in helping lessen greenhouse effect and climate change by using energy efficient appliances around the house as well as being more aware of what you can do as an average person.

So use fluorescent lights whenever possible instead of incandescent bulbs. By doing so, you are saving up on your money in these hard times which can surely help you budget your finances and on a bigger perspective, do your part in lessening the impacts of climate change.

PSE Residential Customers to Get 10 Free CFL Bulbs and a Chance to Win a Free $10,000 Home Energy Solar System at PSE’s Rock the Bulb: The Re-Energize Tour Events This Summer, Launching July 8 at Northshore Ace Hardware in Federal Way

Utility campaign features eight summer weekend events, community outreach and the PSE Bulb Mobile to help customers save energy, money and the planet

[Table Omitted]Washington state’s oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy efficiency, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service and delivering energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.Puget Sound Energy:

Washington state’s oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy efficiency, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service and delivering energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.

Reduce Energy Usage

The most dificult day of every month is when time comes to pay bills and mostly the enormous electricity bills that we get. It's high time and we need to take serious measures to reduce the power bill. Do not worry. We will share some key tips and will make you reach your goal.

One should plan to invest smartly on power. Replace all the incandescent bulbs present in the house with compact fluorescent light or those CFL bulbs. These bulbs consume less electricity as they consume less power.• The washing machine should be used only when there is a bucket full of clothes.• Take note to switch off the computer monitor when not in use. It consumes maximum power and it just takes a second to switch it again.Most of us assume on the fact that the rise in electricity bill is due to the vast number of electrical items present at home. But the truth is that the electricity bill is not directly connected or affected due to the number of gadgets, but by the way one uses them.Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill.Lastly we suggest that for reducing the electricity bill by taking benefit of reading the energy saving guide like Earth4Energy that has some of the best solutions to generate energy at home and providing free electricity to some of your home appliances. In this way we can save power that is facing a huge shortage because of the large demand in the global countries. Try to reduce the requirement of those electrical wires and sockets for home and use the renewable energy extracted from natural resources like wind, sun, tides at a lesser price but having a long term returns.Take a step forward to avoid using those typical items regularly that consumes lot of power -We may prefer to switch off the television set or turn off the fan, but not the tubelight.We need light at the time of night but see that the usage is required in all the rooms or not.Taking care of such these small precautions will surely leads us to savings in the long run by reducing the bills of the power demon.Make sure to discuss with family member about the importance of saving electricity. You can reward them a treat if their participation has led to savings. Suggest them some tips like switching of the lights when they are not present there and attending a call in another room or having dinner at the dining table. Make sure to switch off all the appliances even if you are sure to be back in five minutes. Yes, that will help a lot. Every drop of water makes an ocean.• The air-conditioner should be kept at minimum high or low temperature.• The geyser should not be kept on for maximum amount of time.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill.

Author: Josee Bedard

DIY Solar Panels

If you've been bogged down by the tremendous electrical energy bills you're receiving, it's time to take action. You are able to reduce your electrical energy bills by adopting very elementary steps.

Remember, reducing your electrical energy bill is equal to saving energy, thus assisting the world to save energy for our future generations.Yup, you have to adopt this way of life for saving energy at home and for the world.� Utilise the automatic washer only if there's a full load of clothing.Household appliance utilisation: Many of us complain that the electrical energy bill reaches the sky because of the amount of electric powered appliances we have in our households. However, the electrical energy bill isn't directly proportional to the amount of appliances you utilise but the manner in which you use them. Let us see how you are able to avoid the typical power-wasters.Purchase energy saving gadgets. These gadgets monitor the energy supply to your household and use the minimum that's required.Intelligent investments: Make some intelligent energy investments by substituting your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. These bulbs are an excellent power-saving investment.� Keep the geyser on for the minimum amount of time.� Keep the air conditioning at the minimum low or high temperature, just sufficient to keep you off the heat or the cold outdoors.My best advice; build your own solar panels and eliminate you electricity bill.This article will list a few simple, easy-to-do things to bring down your electrical energy bill.Limited use: begin with the room you're seated in. If you were to accept a call in a different room or join your family at the dining room table, would you merely exit your room with no regard for the electrical appliances in the room? If you'd stop right there, and take a look around. Switch off all the appliances even if you were to return in 5 mins. Yes, even that will help. Every drop of water creates the sea.An additional thing to attend to here is what you think of as an electronic appliance. Would you switch off the TV, put off the fan, but not the light bulb? Yes, you require light, but not now when you're exiting the room. Attending to these minor things will go a long way in boiling down the dreaded immense electrical energy bills.

My best advice; build your own solar panels and eliminate you electricity bill.

Author: Rico Hunter