Energy week: Get CFL bulbs already

This week's eco-topic: Energy.

Haven't swapped out your old light bulbs for eco-friendly, long-lasting CFL bulbs yet? Do it now, and save money and energy. Zach at LAist says he has saved $80 on his electric bill the last couple of months -- even though he still has some conventional bulbs and has been running his AC like crazy.

The personal and environmental benefits of CFLs are well known, which is why I find it a bit odd that a lot of people are still clinging to their old incandescent light bulbs. Thus: three common CFL myths busted:

1. CFLs don't work as well as conventional lights.

If you believe this, you were either 1) an early adopter who bought not-up-to-par CFLs back in the 1990s and swore them off then, 2) an unlucky chump who got suckered into buying a low-quality CFL bulb, or 3) a lazy skeptic who heard from a dubious source that CFLs don't work as well and used that as an excuse to never try them.

The truth is, CFLs now work great. Popular Mechanics did a serious comparison test of seven CFLs and incandescent light bulbs. Its conclusion: “the new fluorescent bulbs aren't just better for both your wallet and the environment, they produce better light.” Some CFLs, of course, work better than others; check out the detailed rankings (PDF) to see which CFL fared best.

2. CFLs are bad because they contain mercury.

It's true, CFLs do contain mercury -- but using CFLs will actually mean LESS mercury in the atmosphere. Why? A lot the electric power in the U.S. comes from coal-fired power plants, which emit a whole bunch of mercury -- much more than CFL bulbs contain. So by using less electricity with the more efficient CFL bulbs, you reduce the overall amount of mercury in the environment.

Besides, the mercury in CFLs isn't a problem unless you are for some reason driven to crush and bury it in your backyard. Being good eco-people, I know you’d take your dead CFL bulbs for proper recycling at your nearest e-waste facility anyway, eliminating the mercury pollution problem altogether.

But you'll be glad to know that Wal-Mart, GE, and others are working to cut the amount of mercury in CFLs too.

3. CFL bulbs aren't dimmable

That was true in the past, but dimmable CFLs are now on the market.

So swap out the lights and save yourself some money. Turn the old bulbs into holiday decorations while you're at it. And if you're looking for decorative lights, consider LEDs!

Top photo by Adam via Flickr; mercury emissions graph courtesy of NEEA

Comments

[James]

A good way to get some free CFL bulbs is to look for the DWP running an info table at various events. They limit the freebies to two per person, but you can always wait to see if they have a shift change at the table and go ge a second helping.

I've changed out all the old style lightbulbs in my apt.for CFLs and I've only had to buy one of them.

[tracy]

One reason I haven't changed all my household bulbs to CFL bulbs is because I feel wasteful removing a conventional bulb that's still working. What do I do with it then? Does the reduction in energy use of the CFL bulb outweigh the waste of throwing away a still functioning conventional bulb? Thanks!

[Siel]

Good tip, James :)

tracy -- You must've missed the link near the end! Turn your CFLs into holiday decorations :) And rest assured knowing that, due to the energy savings, it really is MORE wasteful to hold onto a conventional bulb -- even if it' still working -- than to switch over to a CFL.

[Kate]

Question: What about when you put in a bunch of CFLs, and it turns out that your wiring/fixtures are so shoddy (I hate this apartment) that they don't always turn on properly, and seem to burn out much, much sooner than even a regular light bulb?

We're very pro-CFL, but they really don't seem to work right in our place.

[Commenter]

RE: Mercury

I'm not convinced that the mercury explanation holds water. OK, I'll buy the argument that, in theory, less energy being used = less coal being burned = less atmospheric mercury, BUT...one or two broken CFLs in your house will be A LOT more exposure for YOU individually, or more importantly, any kids in the home. Much more than whatever may blow your way from a coal-fired plant, especially in SoCal, where we don't have any coal fired plants. That being said, I use CFLs in fixtures that can't be knocked into or over, and they do save noticeable $$$.

[Siel]

Kate -- That's v. odd! Can you get your landlord to fix it? And just to rule out the possibility that your CFLs are the prob -- what brand are you using?

Commenter -- You'll be glad to know that the fact that the mercury in CFL prob's vastly overblown's actually making news now. But on the v. rare and unlucky occasion that a mercury bulb should break (again, the dangers of a broken mercury bulb have been vastly exaggerated, but anyway), here are the simple EPA guidelines for cleaning it up.

[Phil]

The real issue with mercury content in CFLs is groundwater pollution caused by the inevitable disposal in trash as these bulbs go mainstream. Most people are not going to segregate their bulbs and take them to an e-waste center, and curbside recycling doesn't take them.

I've used CFLs from time to time and in specific locations for over a decade, to follow their progress. Generally and despite promises of "long-life" the major brand CFLs, especially Philips, have yet to match the life of my incandescent lamps. I find CFLs particularly short-lived in outdoor applications.

As for color, while CFLs have improved with respect to color spectrum, the "warm" tone bulbs from Philips and cast a yellow bias tone with harsh shadows that makes people look jaundiced.

One place where CFLs have an excellent specific use: your bedroom and bathroom. Their slow turn-on means that if you have to flip the switch in the middle of the night, your dark-adapted eyes won't be light shocked.

This is still a bulb type in development, with beta testing being done by consumers. For quality of light, incandescents still rule and CFLs are a marked sacrifice.

[Roger Dee]

I've read a great deal over the past several months about CFL's and mercury content. After trying various cfl bulbs for our house and my wife's office we settled on this - you need to buy the most modern and recently manufactured bulbs made. It appears the cheaper ones have higher mercury, lesser quality construction and color in the color hue's. For example, we tried floodlight cfl's from Home Depot, Wal Mart and online site bulborama.com. The Home Depot BR30 bulbs were different color tones after 2 months, the Wal Mart is not very bright, but the Bulborama.com BR30's are still color consistent after 5 months use. Also the same with twist type cfl's we bought at Costco and Bulborama, the Costco ones (significantly less money) lost color and had a grey burning on the base of the glass. The bulborama people sell to businesses and I suppose some savvy online buyers, and I can only say my low level household type testing proved the quality bulbs much better performing than the lesser priced neighborhood store goods.