Look into the Light: the CFL
If you ask Simran about compact florescent light bulbs, she may crack one open and cut you. Not really, that would scatter mercury, but she is loca for the light bulbs. Check Monday’s Huffington Post for the full version of this post.
People give you this whole rap about how easy saving the planet is. Change a light bulb and save the world. Yes and no. How about we consider it a start rather than an end destination?
Lighting accounts for about 20% of our electric bills. Traditional bulbs burn heat rather than light, so are extremely inefficient. Compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) are 80% more efficient and can last up to 10 times longer than a traditional bulb. Last December, Congress voted to phase out the inefficient incandescent. By 2012, the 100-watt bulb will be history.
In the interim, environmentally-minded folks of all ilks are heralding the bulb. The virtual Stop Global Warming march reminds us swapping out three incandescent bulbs for CFLs will save us 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 a year. The Coalition On the Environment and Jewish Life suggests installing CFLs for Hanukkah as a way to redefine “energy-stretching light” and reflect environmental stewardship. Students in Pennsylvania sell light bulbs instead of candy to raise money for their schools. (Simran prefers candy.)
- » See also: Rehabilitating Bio-Fuels Part 2: Interesting Second Generation Options
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If you haven’t changed your bulbs, get with the program. The light is a lot prettier than what you remember from your high school cafeteria.
Thanks to the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Lacey Johnston for research assistance.
I’m looking forward to the full post by Simran Sethi and Sarah Smarsh on HuffPost tomorrow (which is where I usually catch them). And I love that link to the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. You know, Jews were the first environmentalists–we took a night’s worth of lamp oil and made it last for eight! Would that the Big Three could pull something like that off–make a car that runs eight times longer!
The only problem being that CFL bulbs are expensive to buy, expensive to properly dispose of, and contain mercury. LED bulbs are the future as they are more efficient, longer lasting, and don’t have the warm up time of florescent bulbs. Also no mercury. They are more expensive for now, but that is likely to change soon.
@Sean: I tend to agree that LEDs are the future, but the current costs are just too high for most people. I’d disagree with your first two points about CFLs (costs have come down considerably, and disposal options are opening up quickly). And, yes, they contain mercury, but a miniscule amount… I took a look at the mercury issue (and its political implications) a while back on Red, Green and Blue, and Helen Suh MacIntosh addressed it in detail at Treehugger.
I have installed a bunch of these bulbs in an effort to save money. They DON’T last as advertised and they are too expensive. I have had almost as many burnt out bulbs with these as I have with traditional incandescent bulbs. And they cost about 10 times as much. We need to wait for the technology to mature before diving in headfirst with these. Go LED’S.
You can get a six pack of CFL’s for around $9. At $1.50 each they are a bit more expensive but if you figure in the average light bulb last about 1 year and these last about 10 years, you’re saving a lot of money in the long run.
CFL’s are going to phase in and out quickly. LED technology is here and cheap enough to be worth the investment. most LED bulbs will pay for themselves within the first year of use, and will last 8-10 years. I’m already using LED lights and as one of my old lights burns out, I replace it with an LED. The light quality from LED’s will also change your mind on CFL’s, With LED, you can now have any color you want, as bright as you could need, and dim-able. I am very exited and passionate about LED’s, with at least 50-85% energy savings, and longevity, this technology will soon become the standard.
Another thing you need to watch with CFL bulbs (and all florescent bulbs) is an issue that effects some people and animals with epilepsy… it can cause the person or animal to have seizures or have worse seizures. There is a faint flickering present that most people can’t see, it’s a rare issue for photosensitive people who epilepsy, the higher the flicker rate the less likely it is to cause problems, which generally makes CFLs better than normal florescent… but it is something to be aware of. CFL bulbs can also interfere with some electronics on rare occasions.
They’re better for general use than incandescent, but you should always be sure you do some research on a product before you start actively using it. It’s unfortunate that LED bulbs haven’t yet become more available in the mainstream (and reasonably priced.) They’re superior to CFL and Incandescent in every way except cost.
“They DON’T last as advertised and they are too expensive.”
I really didn’t find the price too daunting when I purchased my bulbs, and I’ve found that they do last quite a while. I’ve even gone through two moves without having to replace them.
I think they’re splendid, but I definately agree that LED is the future.
Great post. Our house is full of CFL’s, and our electricity bill is about half the national average. A parallel way to conserve energy is in how we drive. That’s the topic of this recent post of mine: http://www.diamondcutlife.org/how-to-save-money-on-gas/
best,
Alison in Portland, OR
Recycling CFLs is getting much easier by the month… IKEA has been collecting spent CFLs for a while now, and Home Depot just announced that they will do the same.
CFLs is not the one solution that will save the planet, but it is an easy, quick action that will help us get there.