Assume that the population of Nova Scotia is 1 million.

Assume that the government forces retailers to replace 250,000, 100 watt incandescent bulbs with florescent bulbs.

At any given moment, assuming they are all on, 25,000 KW is consumed by the current lights.

Government data shows that the average temperature of Nova Scotia hits a high of 65 F in the months of July and Aug. Estimate that for 24 hours in each of July and August, no buildings are being heated (or air conditioned - which I assume is relatively uncommon in Nova Scotia). For the remainder of the year, buildings are being heated to bring them to 70 F. This means that the total number of “non-heating” hours (the only time the bulb change has any effect; see Feeling Good) is 1400 (60 x 24).

The total number of kWh used during the “non-heating” hours used by all these bulbs is 36 million. Assuming that 75% of this can be saved with more efficient bulbs, 27 million kWh would be saved yearly.

This translates into an annual saving of approximately 42 million lbs of CO2 (27M x 1.55), or approximately 42 lbs / person.

In gasoline terms, this would be a savings of 2.16 gals per person per year (19.4 lbs / gal).

If the bulbs were aleready being turned off for 12 hours / day the net gasoline saving per person drops to 1 gal per year.

This should just about offset the extra energy used to manufacture and ship the new bulbs and support the needed bulb police (assuming the public sector unions don't allow the recycle police in Kings Co. to also levy bulb fines).

Perhaps mandatory incandescent bulb recycling will be the next big issue in super green Nova Scotia. A small tax on the new bulbs would easily pay for it.

Mike.