Posted on 05/05/2007 11:18:00 AM PDT by John Jorsett
We've been looking in to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) to reduce energy consumption for lighting. Here's what we've learned so far.
Manufacturers say that a 13-18 watt CFL produces light equivalent to a 60w incandescent bulb, an 18-22w CFL is the equivalent of a 75w bulb, and a 23-28w CFL is the equivalent of a 100w bulb. This is based on the "lumens" rating on the side of the box.
In real life, CFL equivalent replacements do not seem quite as bright as incandescents, so you might end up replacing a 60w equivalent with a 75w equivalent and so forth. (The "swirled" designs seem to give off brighter light than the CFLs with a traditional "bulb" design.) But overall, CFLs reduce energy use for lighting by 60%-70%.
Color temperature makes a big difference. The lower the color temperature, the more the light resembles the "warmth" of incandescent bulbs we are all used to (that may sound backwards, but that's how it works). Not all CFLs list the color temperature. The GE "Soft White" has a pleasing, almost incandescent look, while the similarly named Sylvania "Soft White" has a cooler, harsher "fluorescent" look (although some might prefer it for truer color rendering or easier reading).
We found some Sylvania "Warm White" 13w (60w replacement) CFLs at Lowes that have very pleasing light, and their small size allows them to fit most fixtures. The color temperature is listed as 2700K (as compared to their "Daylight" CFL which is listed at 6500K and seems much "harsher".) The 13w "Warm White" CFLs came in a contractor's box of 12 for $27, which is a pretty good deal. They are rated at 800 lumens with a lifetime of 10,000 hours, as compared to a standard GE "Soft White" 60w incandescent, which is rated at 840 lumens with a life of 1000 hours.
Because of their long life and lower energy consumption, CFLs can result in significant savings over the lifetime of the bulb relative to its cost. Manufacturers are quick to point this out, with claims on the packaging of $36+ in energy savings over the life of a 14w (60w equivalent) up to $61 for a 23w (100w equivalent). Your mileage will probably vary.
Most CFLs do not work with dimmers. Manufacturers say it will shorten the bulb life and it voids the warranty. There are special bulbs that work with dimmers, but they are not widely available. If the package does not say the bulb is compatible with dimmers, it probably isn't. (Look at the fine print on the base of the bulb.) We are still looking for a local source for "dimmable" CFLs, as most of our fixtures have dimmers. CFLs are also not intended for use with most photocells and timers.
One thing that is not talked about much is that CFLs emit more ultraviolet (UV) light than an incandescent bulb, which produces virtually none. Light in a CFL starts out as UV from excited gases, and is made visible by phosphors coating the inside of the tube/bulb. Incandescent light is mostly infrared emitted by heating the filament to super high temperatures (leading some to call them "heat bulbs" instead of "light bulbs"). Most of the UV from a CFL is filtered out in the conversion, but there is still some.
Manufacturers say, however, that there is no health risk and that eight hours of exposure to CFL UV is about the same as one minute in full sunlight. But, photographs, artwork, some fabrics, and some photoreactive chemicals used in furniture finishes are susceptible to degradation from any increased levels of UV over time. So this is something to consider.
The Mercury Problem
Finally, CFL critics are quick to point out that CFL bulbs contain mercury, a highly toxic pollutant. This is true. The typical CFL bulb contains approx. 5mg of mercury. (Manufacturers are working to reduce this. Phillips is said to have developed a bulb that only has 1.5mg of mercury.) If the bulb is broken, special care must be taken to properly clean up and dispose of the remnants to prevent health risks. Further, CFLs must be recycled or properly disposed of to prevent the mercury from entering the environment. Here are the federal government guidelines for CFL disposal and cleanup.
What the critics forget to mention, however, is that coal-fired power plants are a major source of mercury pollution. Further, most of this mercury is emitted into the air, and is thus not contained or containable. Mercury in a CFL is already contained unless it is broken, and if properly recycled is fully containable.
We did some rough calculations to determine the mercury pollution impact of CFL v. incandescent bulbs. We used TVA's Kingston plant as an example. It generated 10,161,530 gross megawatts in 2005, and released 643 pounds of mercury into the environment. If our math is correct, this works out to about 0.000028702 milligrams of mercury pollution per watt of electricity generated.
Based on this, a 100w incandescent bulb operated for 8 hours per day 365 days per year causes 8.4mg of mercury pollution. An equivalent 23w CFL bulb will cause 1.9mg of mercury pollution. Assuming a five year life of the bulb, and assuming the bulb is crushed and dumped in a landfill releasing its 5mg of mercury into the environment, the CFL will cause 14mg of mercury pollution over its lifetime as compared to 42mg of mercury pollution for an equivalent number of incandescent bulbs, a reduction of 28mg or 66%.
66% sounds like a lot. But according to DOE estimates, residential power usage is about 35% of the total, and lighting in the average home accounts for about 9.4% of the energy used. Considering that about 64% of TVA power is generated from coal v. hydro and nuclear, the net reduction of mercury emissions if every TVA customer switched to CFL bulbs would only be 4.6 pounds at the Kingston plant, a 0.7% reduction. System-wide, this would be a reduction of nearly 39 pounds annually.
39 pounds doesn't sound like much mercury (even though it's thousands of lethal doses) but it's something. And multiply that for every power system in the U.S. and it adds up.
Plus, we should take pollution controls wherever we can get them. If you figure a 0.7% reduction in coal-fired household energy use and related emissions across the board, system-wide TVA emissions of NOx (nitrogen oxides that cause ozone and smog) could be reduced by 1337 tons, SO2 (sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain and harms plants and stream ecology) by 3220 tons, and CO2 (a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming) by 735,000 tons (2005 figures). Increased commercial usage of CFL would result in even more reductions.
So CFLs won't save the planet, but they might put off its demise for a month or two.
Back to the CFL mercury problem, a couple of things need to happen right away:
• Consumers need to be educated on proper disposal and cleanup. The packages we purchased do not mention this prominently or at all. One directs you to a website. There should be prominent warnings about health risks and instructions for proper disposal and cleanup on all CFL packaging.
• Local public works officials need to incorporate CFL collection, recycling and/or disposal into their waste management programs.
• Big-box retailers who sell more than 100 CFLs per year (or some other arbitrary figure) should be required to provide on-site recycling centers.
So what do I do? Man CFL or man cleanup_broken_cfl?
You better buy one anyway.
http://www.mercuryexposure.org/index.php?page_id=29
Well, then, maybe I should just break all my CFL’s and inhale deeply? Then throw them in the regular trash?
Exactly. The claims of longevity on these bulbs is a farce. They fail in more ways than I can count, and my average on them is about a year. I have some incandescents that are several years old. Some of those don’t last long either. But CFLs on average don’t last any longer.
Just follow the cleanup suggestions in the article and you will be okay.
This place (http://www.ccrane.com/lights/index.aspx) only has only the regular blue color except for one 26 watt bulb that is “like dusk”.
Blue is nice, just not everywhere.
-—It’s a very expensive bulb.
Do you like being cheated? Do I have to be cheated like this to want to save a little money?
Plus, like I say in the other post, I don’t want to wear a hazmat suit or spend $2,000 on clean up.
It’s bad enough I have a very dangerous bulb to get rid of now. I don’t really appreciate that hassle. They should pay me.
So, your undeniable logic is it’s okay to cheat people?-—
Our experience is that you’ll get your money back in the first mouths electric bill. As far as them being very dangerous, that’s simply not true. 5mg is miniscule. If they break just clean it up and stick it in the trash. Mercury is volatile. If you’re worried about the fumes robbing you of your precious bodily fluids open a window.
There’s more mercury in light switches, thermostats, and thermometers. There’s probably more mercury in a lot of people’s fillings.
You’re only cheating yourself out of significant savings on your electric bill.
You don’t even have to drop them. Sometimes a hole will burn right through the side of the glass.
I don’t feel too good about that article as it compares braking a poison bulb in my house is the same as having a power plant in my house, or something.
I think that there are better solutions coming, I even hear there is research into a new kind of incandescent, it might be a few years away but I think it is better then risking my home’s health to save a few bucks, a very few bucks. Maybe even not that many considering how expensive the bulbs are and how long they last. Well, I still have 8 or nine that are working but I will be going back to the incandescents now. They are safe and I can just throw them in the trash when they burn out.
They say you can’t just throw them in the trash, though, that you have to take them to a recycle center.
I still have my broken one in the original package on my coffee table because I’m not too sure what to do with it.
Anyway, I still have 8 or nine in the house but I didn’t know about them destroying photographs and art and stuff either. Not that I have much art, but still. They seem much more of a hassle then they are worth. And I didn’t really notice that big of savings.
Plus, of course, they lie about how long they last. At least with a regular bulb, you can just throw it out and buy another.
I just think of this example: I don’t mind paying for stuff when it works and works well.
A few months ago, I found a $34 brush for my cat at the pet store called a Furminator. As I picked it off the shelf I said to myself $34 for a brush!? Are you crazy?
But I have a long hair cat and gets matted fur and nothing else was working, regular brushes, the fine tooth comes, nothing.
So after using it for a month I ask myself: So how does the $34 brush suit you? And I was shocked to realize I never thought about how much the brush costs because it works so well.
But I do think about the price of the CFL because I don’t notice that great a savings and now this one burned out. It was hard to find a CFL flood light in the first place and then it doesn’t even last. Too expensive.
Last night on the subway platform, there were two bulbs, side by side that, instead of having the usual ephemeral cloud of light coming from them, actually seemed to have a beam inside each that was rotating within it. I thought, "gee, watch 'em explode while I'm staring at them." But then a cute girl walked up...
My power electricity costs about $.10 per kwh. At three hours per day swapping out a 60 watt with a 20 watt cfl saves me about $.30 a month. That is about what they are advertised at.
No, I like YOUR story better!
I have no problem with disposing of these things properly but make it EASY, people! Have a once-a-month day when you can put out your toxic waste like paint, lightbulbs, and batteries, and people will do it. Or allow us to return the products where we purchased them.
The early ones seemed to have had problems, but I am very happy with the newer ones. I have had some going for several years without problems.
-—I still have my broken one in the original package on my coffee table because I’m not too sure what to do with it.-—
Oh! Oh! Broken CFL and mental confusion! Maybe I spoke too soon about the dangers. Maybe you should arrange for a neurological examination as soon as possible. :^)
A lot of people have tubluar fluorescents in their houses. Kitchens, bathrooms, and basements are places I've seen them. They have been around for years and I've never heard of anyone having to do a hazmat cleanup. Almost every school in the country uses them still.
Some of those older bulbs had an actual ball of mercury rolling around in them. I can remember the garbage collectors tossing them into the dumper and watching them pop.
Get a different brand. Some of mine have lasted 5 years. Maybe 6 hours average a day.
They aren't very expensive. I paid about 2 bucks each in a six pack, I think.
Back to the CFL mercury problem, a couple of things need to happen right away:
• Consumers need to be educated on proper disposal and cleanup. The packages we purchased do not mention this prominently or at all. One directs you to a website. There should be prominent warnings about health risks and instructions for proper disposal and cleanup on all CFL packaging.
• Local public works officials need to incorporate CFL collection, recycling and/or disposal into their waste management programs.
• Big-box retailers who sell more than 100 CFLs per year (or some other arbitrary figure) should be required to provide on-site recycling centers.
<> er, yes, OK.
More government (arbitrary, of course) restrictions and rules. And still REQUIRING 200.00 per bulb cleanup - unless you’re a day school or kid’s room: THEN, you’d lose your daycare license until you could PROVE that NO mercury exists anywhere in the school. “For the kids” of course.)
Back when the first fluorescent lighting craze hit (late 70’s?) I recall an article that claimed the flickering light gave cats headaches. They said it could also give some people headaches and might trigger seizures in epileptics.
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