My biggest gripe is they market them as "green" and good for the world, when they contain mercury and need to be treated as hazardous waste. How many people dispose of them properly? Not many. way to "save the earth"

http://www.livescience.com/1656-green-light-bulbs-pack-toxic-ingredient.html

Would you please include in your test the cost of each bulb, as well as info on whether they contain harmful toxins, such as mercury. Thanks!
I'm interested to see the results. I also think you should have thrown a plain ol' 60 watt incandescent bulb in there as a control.

As i've changed all my lights to "energy saving" bulbs, well all but the halogen ones... I do have to say, these fluorescent hybrids (the warm light type) do have some similarities to the regular 60 watt incandescent kind. But actually if you are picky about colors (as I am) they do change colors and not in a good way....

For example compare the colors of your furniture and things around you with both types, the halogen will always yield richer brighter more "faithfully natural" colors. The 60 watt will be yellower but equally bright and natural... the energy saver will give a flat color, don't worry... reds will still be reds, but forget the warmth and brightness.

Truth is.. in the end you'll get used to it anyway. It will just bother you for a couple of days.

Ooh. This is a good topic. Especially when certain members of Congress are trying to rescind the move to more energy efficient bulbs.

My problem with the new bulbs is finding a bulb that can be reliably dimmed without burning out in short order.

From what I've found out, halogens can be dimmed and contain no mercury, last about as long as a CFL, and do not need to warm up.

However, they use twice the energy of a CFL. Not all CFLs are created equal. We have two in our bathroom and an incandescent in the same fixture. You can't even tell the difference when the CFLs have warmed up.

LEDs are along the same lines as halogens, as far as I know, but I haven't looked into them as much.

For the record, I mostly use CFLs... but I live VERY close to an Ikea, which has free recycling for them. I think it would help - as far as the legal ramifications - if city halls and city centers offered free recycling for them as well.

Could you please also post about how the amount of coal (most of the electricity generated in the US is from coal) burned to light one incandescent bulb releases more mercury than the amount of mercury in a CFL bulb? This mercury argument has been proven incomplete. Stop proliferating it. Just stop it.

If you break a CFL light bulb, you get to grab your kids and pets and run, calling for the haz-mat team to clean up for you. Not something I had to do if I broke a regular bulb. I'm going to have to stockpile those ol' 60watts if they can't rescind that silly law. Oh, wait, my husband and I are unemployed (only 6 months, but going strong) and can't afford new light bulbs anyway.

If you object to the color of these lights, by all means don't purchase them. If, like some of our elected representatives in the U.S., you regard the implementation of modest energy efficiency standards as an intolerable assault on your individual liberties, knock yourself out and buy 'em by the bag-load. It won't be difficult, as incandescent bulbs, are not being banned.

While there is a small amount of mercury in each CFL, if a bulb is broken the exposure to mercury is negligible, far less than eating a tuna fish sandwich. Here's the lowdown (from a health care professional with no connection to GE, Sylvania, or the power industry).

For what it's worth, I use a mix of tungsten and CFL bulbs. Generally I've gone over to CFLs, but I use incandescents in locations like closets and outdoors, where the delayed-warm-up-to-full-brightness limitation comes into play. Even the instant-on CFLs take quite a while to reach full output in cold exterior locations.

The initial CFL bulbs did indeed put out some queasy looking colors. The recent ones are all but indistinguishable from incandescents.

I'm really looking forward to this comparison. Unfortunately when you see displays of the various bulbs in the store, they're in some odd little metal frame, usually side by side and the ambient lighting of the store makes it difficult to tell what your display looks like. I've yet to see an online comparison so I think this is a super idea.

I fully expect to see many more energy efficient and inexpensive incandescents hit the market before long. Demand drives supply.

ElectricKatie - Home Depot also has a CFL recycling program. For those not near a Home Depot or Ikea, you can go to earth911.com and find recycling centers in your zipcode for lots of things.

I was a good citizen and put them throughout my house, particularly in the hard to reach ceiling lights. Hated them from day one, hated them: hated waiting for them to actually light; when instead of lasting five years, they lasted two; and hated them when they prematurely burned out I couldn't just throw them in the trash. Maybe every alleged solution to our energy needs just shouldn't be embraced right off the bat - because then innovation stops and we're stuck with faulty solutions.

My carbon footprint so small, and I really can;t stand CFL's. In my opinion, this law is to make americans who drive SUVs and heat and light huge McMansions feel better about themselves. There are so many other ways to cut back on energy use -- even jsut the use of less light. For example, why are the hallways of my apt building and thousands of others lit 24 hours at a brightness suitable for an operating room? What about motion sensors and a little less light? And what of all the office buildings you see empty but with the lights on? Etc., etc.

The above posts are absolutely correct. Florescent bulbs, even the "low mercury" ones, have mercury in them and should never be put in a landfill. (Mercury toxicity in fish is a huge issue and seems to be largely caused by contaminated groundwater in many cases.)

If you are looking for a good way to dispose of your CFLs or any bulb with mercury, check out the products like thinkgreenfromhome.com and other bulb recycling websites. (They also have products for recycling batteries, etc.)

Honestly, the energy used to make these bulbs exceeds that to make the old-fashioned bulbs (that are so cheap to make they barely turn a profit). The policies may look green, but don't always take into account that many new products (like hybrid cars) waste far more materials and energy than just using what you already have or buying something used.