Bulbs and Batteries

The technology of bulbs and batteries has been advancing since the mid 1800’s at an alarming rate causing much confusion as well as interest among consumers.  In an effort to educate the public on how to get the most out of batteries and bulbs, a program titled, “Bulbs and Batteries” was offered. The collaborative effort was conducted by the Kenton County Family and Consumer Science agents and a guest speaker from a local utility company.  The utility company representative educated the participants on light bulb types (i.e. LED, halogen, incandescent, and fluorescents), proper applications in the home, safety, and proper disposal. The FCS agent discussed battery types, (i.e. lead acid, lithium, lithium ion, nickel, nickel zinc, nickel hydrogen); proper use of batteries; safety, storage, recharging, proper disposal, recycling, and battery life. Of the 16 participants eight responded to the post program evaluation to indicate the following results; 7 will use LED bulbs whenever possible, 100% indicated they learned information that will help them make better choices when purchasing bulbs and batteries.  Participants shared the following changes they intend to adapt as a result of attending: they will remove batteries from Christmas decorations when storing over the year; they will read their phone manual regarding the proper charging technique for the battery in their cell phone; they will replace bulbs with the correct wattage; they will dispose of batteries and bulbs using the proper method as directed in the resource manual provided.