Marquette Board Of Light & Power

Information may not be reliable

posted on Oct. 14th, 2010 09:06AM
Our business offices located at 2200 Wright Street will be closed on the following dates for holiday observances:
November 11 - Veteran's Day

posted on Aug. 23rd, 2010 12:14PM
The Marquette Board of Light and Power is a drop off spot for burned out Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. CFL's contain mercury and need to be disposed of properly as to not harm the environment. For more information about disposal of CFL's please visit www.epa.gov

posted on Mar. 10th, 2010 03:48AM
Please visit the Energy Optimization (EO) website at www.michiganenergy.org and click on the tab for Marquette Board of Light and Power to see what programs are available to Marquette Board of Light and Power customers. Any questions regarding these programs should be addressed to the EO Customer Service Center at (877) 296-4319.

posted on Jun. 10th, 2009 08:36AM
Would you like to be able to see your bills online? View your consumption? See the payments that you made? Well now you can do so. Simply call our office for a 4-digit PIN and you can then set up your own e-mail address and password to access your account.

Myth 1: They are too expensive.
This is like saying a modern fuel efficient car is expensive compared to an old V8 gas-guzzler. Thats because you would be ignoring the energy costs of running it. A CFL is a sophisticated electronic appliance that turns electricity into light rather than heat. In fact it is designed to work for a lot longer than other small appliances such as toasters and hairdryers. On the other hand, incandescent globes are fairly disposable items based on century old technology which turn electricity mainly into heat. Thats why they are so hot to touch. The light they produce is a by-product. Replacing incandescent with good quality CFLs is one of the best money saving investments you will ever make.
Myth 2: I dont like the look of them.
While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it is fair to say that until recently the design of CFLs was very different from traditional bulbs and centered on a long 3 tube stick style, which was large and unattractive to many. While these are still on the market, there are many new designs from innovative lighting companies that are much more aesthetically appealing and, in many cases, are more compact. Some styles are indistinguishable from incandescent. Here are few examples to brighten your day.

Myth 3: They cant be dimmed.
This used to be true, but a range of dimmable CFL options is available amongst the leading brands. These will work on most dimmers circuits and are available in different colors and in bayonet and screw fittings. They are dimmable down to a level as low as 10% and still have all the cost saving, long life and environmental benefits.

Myth 4: They dont last as long as they say.
This is probably a case of you get what you pay for. The high quality brands will usually last the stated average life of 6,000 hours. It is often the cheaper no-name brands that are less reliable as they use much lower quality components. Another factor that can affect CFL lifespan is fast cycling. This occurs with repeated turning on and off at short time intervals and it is possible that the life of the bulb is reduced. So next time you buy, get one of the quality brands, they will last the stated time and save you money and frustration in the long term.
Myth 5: They give a harsh white light.
This is only partly true and is caused by many people being unaware that CFLs come in a variety of colors and therefore picked the wrong ones for the task. This is understandable as incandescent lamps only come in one color, which is between 2700 3000 Kelvin. The Kelvin temperature of a lamp refers to the color of the light it emits, and is a comparison to natural outdoor light. For example, sunlight in the middle of a clear day is about 6500 degrees Kelvin.

In the table below we show the most common types of lighting, both natural and man made. In general warm-white creates a cozy, inviting ambience; while cool-white or daylight creates a stimulating ambience suitable for work or active pursuits.

In regards to overall light quality, in a 2007 consumer test of seven brands of CFL by Popular Mechanics magazine they found that all of the CFLs produced a better quality of light than the incandescent lighting tested. In short, pick the right color CFL for the job by looking at the packet for the Kelvin number or light description, buy a quality brand and you will be happy.
Myth 6: A Broken Globe Can Contaminate Your Whole House
This is becoming one of the great urban myths and is WRONG. In fact to have a chance of making this myth possible you would have to break a globe daily in every room of your house. This would be a very expensive way of poisoning yourself! CFLs do contain tiny amounts of mercury, up to 5 mg (5 one-thousandths of a gram) or about the same amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. This mercury is sealed inside the bulb and is essential for it to work. To give you a comparison ordinary fluorescent tubes in current use contain approximately 15 mg of mercury per tube. These have been used safely in offices, shops, schools and other buildings around the world for over 50 years. High quality bulbs tend to contain lower levels of mercury than some of the cheaper less reliable brands. Bulbs do on occasion break but it is important that you understand that the risk is very, very low. If you follow the procedure below, any exposure in reality will be very low.
Open the windows and leave the room to ventilate for 30 minutes.
Use rubber gloves to pick up all the pieces and put it into a thick plastic bag double bag if necessary.
Do not use a vacuum cleaner.
Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes.
Place the paper towel, gloves and any other waste in with the CFL pieces, seal it and dispose of in the waste bin outside
and remember CFL lighting has been used safely around the world for 25 years.
Myth 7: They contain mercury which make them worse for the environment.
It is so important that we all care for our environment. By switching to CFLs you will actually prevent much more toxic mercury from being released into the air from coal fired power plants than is contained in the bulbs themselves. The chart below, from the US EPA, shows that even if the CFL is put into landfill at the end of its life there will be 70% less mercury entering the environment when compared to emissions related to usage of a comparable incandescent.

Ideally, it would be best to prevent CFLs from going to landfill by recycling them. The MBPL is a CFL Recycling site.