A bright idea for light bulbs

bulb

A light bulb swap for faculty and staff could lighten up NAU’s carbon footprint and electric bill.

With the help of a donation of 5,000 compact fluorescent lamp bulbs from Arizona Public Service, NAU’s Office of Sustainability is making the energy-efficient bulbs available to faculty and staff. About 2,500 of the bulbs were made available to NAU students moving into campus at the beginning of the semester.

“If all 5,000 bulbs are put into use, the university could save up to $150,000 on its electric bill over the course of the next 10 years,” said Richard Baron, director of the Office of Sustainability.

Baron noted that CFL bulbs use 75 percent less energy and can last up to 10 times longer than regular bulbs. Each incandescent bulb replaced by a CFL bulb results in a reduction in the carbon released into the atmosphere by 300 pounds per year.

Employees interested in swapping out their current incandescent bulbs should call (928) 523-422.