SYLVANIA halogen light bulb Blog Tour!

As you know, we try to be green when it is feasible for us, but the huge things just aren't happening.

As I've said before, I think it is important for us to do what we can to make our world a better place, but I don't think we should beat ourselves up for what we can't do-  either we'll get to it later when we can or we'll do something else.

When we need new electronics and appliances we try to get the most energy efficient ones we can afford, because that's something we (and most of our friends and family) can do.  We don't have an electric car or a huge compost pile, but we recycle and try to remember to bring our own bags to the store.  Organic clothes when we can afford them- certainly.  Converting to a solar house- well that's a dream for another day.

We have been using CFL light bulbs whenever ours burn out even though we weren't thrilled with them, because they are more energy efficient and that makes sense to us - they cost more but they don't work as well as traditional light bulbs.  And, I am still not thrilled with the shape-  just one of those personal preferences.

The other things I don't much care for is that they take longer to come on, flutter with any energy surge and of course are never quite as bright-  let me tell you if you haven't experienced 40-itis, your eyes really do get *dimmer* and the eye specialists themselves recognize 40-itis as an unavoidable condition-  that is in fact where we first heard the term.  And you could care less about my reading glasses, but my point is that it gets harder to read and good lighting is essential.  My eyes get tired quicker with the CFL bulbs than traditional ones, but again we chose that as something we could do that was worth the trade off.

Aside from it being worth it to us to make the decision to use CFL light bulbs, traditional incandescent bulbs are being phased out by the  Federal Government’s Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, so even if I didn't want to change, soon I wouldn't have a choice.

I was really excited to be chosen to participate in the SYLVANIA halogen light bulb Blog Tour!

I am delighted to say they work as advertised- a bright white light in a traditional shape-  and they are not only instant on but work with dimmer switches.  They are brighter than CFL, which means my eyes don't get as tired and I can read longer (I'm a bed reader and stretch that one final chapter out as long as I can and yes, mom, you always knew and let me anyways!)

What does this mean for us consumers?  Basically we don't have to compromise and give up anything-  we're doing the good for the environment thing, the SYLVANIA halogen bulbs contain no mercury (you knew you had to take your CFL bulbs to be disposed of and couldn't just toss them out, right?) and they use between 22 & 33% less energy than traditional bulbs.  The best of everything, as far as I can tell.

Unless something drastic changes over time, I will be using the SYLVANIA halogen bulbs, and it's a choice I can feel really good about-  it has combined the best features of both CFL and incandescent bulbs, meets the guidelines of the security act and means I don't have to sacrifice anything to get the light quality I want.

The SYLVANIA halogen SUPERSAVER light bulb is available in 28 watt (replacing 40 watt), 43 watt (replacing 65 watt), 72 watt (replacing 100 watt) and a variety of flood lights.  Currently they can be purchased online, and nationwide at Menard's and some BJ's and prices start at $4.29 a 2-pack.

Win/win for everyone. 

 “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of SYLVANIA and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”