We don't like to bore our dear readers, we like to be informative, fun and exciting to keep you coming back for more. And thankfully for us, that's been the case.
So when we looked at sharing more info with you about why it makes sense all around to switch to CFLs, we didn't want it to become a lecture, like "Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste."
Or, "Although initially more expensive, you save money in the long run because CFLs use 1/3 the electricity and last up to 10 times as long as incandescents. A single 18 watt CFL used in place of a 75 watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime. At 8 cents per kWh, that equates to a $45 savings."
So we'll stay away from the lecture and just point you in the direction of this really good resource page that tells you about the pros and cons of CFLs, including info about finding "warmer" versions that are less harsh...and there's even info about LEDs too. We definitely recommend you click over and read more!
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Comments (6)
Wrong, they do dim, if you get the right kind of bulb. http://www.goodmart.com/products/916892.htm
Thats just one of many, many, dimmable compact fluorescents. But, I haven't been able to find any dimmable bi-pins to replace halogens. Maybe LED lighting will be able to suit your needs down the road...
A question I have yet to see answered with any facts is whether it is a better use of resources to keep incandescents until they burn out, or just to replace them now. I've heard discussions recently about how people are so interested in being "friendly" by buying a new, effecient car or energystar appliance, but neglect to consider the energy spent and the emissions produced during the manufacturing process.
The ILEA discusses this subject in a nearly decade old articles in regard to cars... http://www.ilea.org/lcas/macleanlave1998.html
I believe incandescents are being outlawed in Australia. Has anyone heard when?
The mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs poses no threat while in the bulb, but if you break one be careful not to inhale the mercury - immediately use a wet rag to clean it up and put all of the pieces, and the rag, into a plastic bag.
Yikes! The major cause of bulb breakage in my home is cats running amok and knocking over lamps when no one is there to shoo them away from mercury spills. Poisoning pets strikes me as a non-trivial down side to CFLs.
Although household CFL bulbs may legally be disposed of with regular trash (in the US), they are categorized as household hazardous waste.
Lovely. So users of these bulbs will be sending hazardous waste to landfills that aren't designed for it. You're essentially trading trendy reduced CO emissions for potential soil and groundwater contamination.
Sending CFL bulbs to the landfill also doesn't keep mercury from going into the atmosphere in gaseous form -- among other things, landfills emit gases. They're designed to.
Here's a site that presents research on how the mercury disposal issues means that fluorescent bulbs are not a "green" technology.
Burning coal - which is by far the biggest source of power in the US - also releases mercury into the environment, which also gets into the groundwater, lakes, streams and ultimately the ocean. A CFL saves so much energy even if you were to just pitch it in the trash it would still release less mercury into the environment than a traditional incandescent bulb (and that doesn't even take into consideration all of the other nasty crap burning coal belches into the environment).
Of course, you can always recycle them. I think IKEA has stared taking them back. This website should be able to hook you up with the recycling outfit in your area: http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=ls&cat=1&serviceid=116&type=-1
god knows why, but my whole apartment is on dimmer switches. and its not so much the quality of the cf dimming that bothers me, but that they burn out like 2 times faster than normal when you use them on dimmers. making twice as much dead bulbs, totally not what you are going for here.