European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 7, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 72007 stars and stripes Page 15 your Money lights provide Bright idea for saving by Mackenzie Carpenter Pittsburgh pos Gazette Pittsburgh there All Over the news those curly twirly Light bulbs youve seen in stores compact Flores cents or been touted As per haps the single most effective Way con Sumers can dramatically alter their Energy consumption and so far Consumers Are responding sort of artist James Osher has positively Al though not completely embraced the concept of the new Energy efficient lights which Are four times More efficient than regular or incandescent Light bulbs and last 10 times longer to say about 40 percent of my House is lit with compact fluorescent he said there in the basement on the porch and in the hallways and weve got three in our bedroom but our Reading lamp has a regular Light bulb in it and in the Kitchen Well and Here he pauses slightly i would love to have a lot of these com pact fluorescent there but i tried putting them in our spotlights and they just didst do the trick and therein lies a big problem some homeowners not to mention Many residential designers and Interior decorators dont like them very much despite a steady drop in Price from a bulb a few years ago to about now and falling and advances in technology that make the newer soft White cols almost indistinguishable from i Candes cents when hidden by a Large lampshade compact fluorescent Cost More up front but better efficiency can mean lower Bills or an opaque Glass Globe they Lack the Golden glow of a Plain incandescent in a Reading lamp or the museum Quality spar Kle of a Halogen in a downright they just dont have the warmth the other bulbs do said Osher who added he nonetheless switched to cols because of his con Cerns about the Environ ment if aesthete i is were All that Xiv mattered to me i  be doing this certainly aesthetics dont matter to governments businesses and institutions faced with skyrocketing Energy costs and dire predictions about global warming in recent months theres been a virtual Stampede to Green Light build Ings and Homes and for Good if every american Home replaced just one Standard incandescent Light bulb with a Long lasting Cal that would eliminate greenhouse gases equal to the emissions of 800000 cars according to the us Energy Star program legislators from California to Texas have announced proposals to ban ener a guzzling incandescent there is some real sticker Shock with these bulbs which at about each Cost far More than a 60cent incandescent but they More than make up their Money on the Back end a package of three cols from Home depot for prom ised to save in Energy costs Over the life of each bulb for affluent clients whose Homes have a lot of Dow lighting Price int an Issue said Mike Zeuger senior lighting designer for the Asterino architectural firm i had one project where the House had 900 Down lights and be Lieve me when you have that Many you dont care about the Cost still he said most of his older clients still prefer to stay with Halogen or reflector bulbs for older people change is hard especially for those who were brought up with incandescent at Home and fluorescent at work or school they hear about this push for Flores cents everywhere and they say come on i dont want to live under these lights at Home but cols Are the big wave now and i always pitch them to my clients in terms of Energy conservation and sustainability it is possible he says to retrofit exist ing recessed lights with some of the newer reflector cols that mimic Halo Gens by directing the Light from a tiny Point source rather than diffusing it Russell Leslie associate director of the lighting research Center at Rensselaer polytechnic Institute in new York int enamoured of Cal reflector bulbs for Dow lighting Many recessed lights Are insulated or air tight which Means the heat from the Light will reduce its output and youll be unhappy with the amount of Light out of that fixture one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers is meeting consumer de Mand for a Cal that dims effectively currently most screwing cols dont work very Well say some retailers Ive got 20 people on the phone Selling dim Mable cols but i have to Tell you the technology stinks says Mike Connors vice president of sales and marketing at bulb com the largest online seller of Light bulbs if they could just dim to what the manufacturer claims they will but too often they shut off at about 20 percent Power i screwed a few in in my Home and then took them out immediately thursdays Market summary indexes 52 High Low name last net chg Ltd chg chg 52wk ehg 1279593 1068332 Dow Jones industrials 1256020 521142 413472 Dow Jones transportation 491706 5117238097 Dow Jones utilities 51034 946362 770811 nose composite 942657 219462 180065 amex Index 219782 253142 201278 Nash a composite 247134 146157 121929 144376 87089 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Jas name Nav Ltd chg ret Fidelity invest Fidelity invest Fidelity spartan Putnam funds to Erlna Amer Century inv Fidelity invest Fidelity invest Fidelity invest aim investments a const Frnk a aim investments a Charta Fidelity advisor t Fidelity advisor Putnam funds a Globe qty Fidelity advisor t Putnam funds a Exchange rates military rates euro costs april Dollar buys april British Pound april japanese yen april South korean won april commercial rates Bahrain British pound519721 Canada China Denmark Egypt Pound 5 7000 Hong Kong Hungary Israel Japan Kuwait Norway Philippines Poland saudi Arabia Riyal 37512 Singapore Dollar South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey new military Exchange rates Are those available to customers at military Bank ing facilities in the country of issuance for Japan South Korea Germany the Netherlands and the United kingdom for no local currency Exchange rates in purchasing British pounds in Germa Check with your local military Bank ing facility commercial rates Are inter Bank rates provided for reference when buying currency All figures Are foreign currencies to one Dollar except for the British Pound which is represented in dollars Pound and the euro which is dollars euro precious metals new York merc dose Gold Silver 513694 interest rates prime discount rate625 Federal funds Market rate 520 3month bill503 30year Bond sources the associated press Bank of America and sensibility Money tip of the Day talking to aging parents by Marshall Loeb Market watch new York baby Boomers Are taking care of their elderly parents in record numbers but ii desire for caring for the older generation int always enough it can be difficult to discuss Legal financial and longer care Deci Sions with older parents the Setlif e mature Market Institute offers these 10 tips for making the talks with parents a Little easier dont put it off initiate the conversation while your parents Are still healthy involve the family its and even beneficial to include siblings and other family Mem Bers in the discussion just make sure you All share the same goals declare your intentions let your parents know that you Are starting this discussion because you want to make sure you do the right things As they age dont take Over your parents still have the need and right to make their own decisions try not to take control from them e dont be a bully youre not going to agree on everything so dont Force opinions on them unless their health or safety is on the line respect their decisions 9 communicate clearly try to avoid offering advice instead focus on presenting different options include them in the discus Sion by asking for their ideas in Stead of telling them what to do try to express your concerns know where to find Docu mentation ask your parents where they keep their insurance policies wills tax returns and other documents h Arm them with information act As a resource by giving them materials to read and printing in formation off of reliable web Sites and other sources step Back and evaluate if things Arent going Well examine your own approach to see what the problem might be if you think they need expert advice suggest they speak with a Finan Cial planner or lawyer treat them with respect appreciate and respect their wis Dom and experiences and let them know you support them