March 2008 - Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs

Are claims that Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (aka CFLs) save you money on your energy bill valid? Yes. Tests have shown that each CFL bulb, on for three hours a day, can save you about $5 per year. Considering that the average home has 45 bulbs, total savings can be more than $225 per year.

Introduced in the 1980’s, CFLs use between one fifth and one quarter of the power of an equivalent incandescent lamp. They produce about 75% less heat than a regular bulb.

According to energystar.gov, if every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to more than 800,000 cars.

Obviously, CFLs are not your ordinary light bulb, and shouldn’t be treated as such.

CFLs can last up to 1,000 hours, provided they aren’t used where lights are on for less than 15 minutes, like a closet. Frequent on-off short use of CFL bulbs will shorten their life-span up to 85%. Most spiral CFLs will actually last more than 6,000 hours.

Where so many of us purchase bulbs according to the watts, with CFLs, it is the lumens that mark the brightness. Watts tell how much energy the bulb uses. Lumens determine the amount of light.

With old bulbs, we also became accustomed to "instant" light. However, CFLs take time to reach full brightness. They can take between 25 second and up to 3 minutes to reach full brightness. For this reason, you may want to stick to a regular bulb in the stairway, for example.

CFLs also come in different "colors." CFLs labeled "soft white" or "warm white" are designed to match the light given by a typical soft white light bulb. However, those with a "bright white," "natural," or "daylight" label have a cool blue color.

Its best to choose CFLs that have been Energy Star qualified, because they meet the stringent standards for warm-up time, brightness, bulb life, and of course energy use. However, we found the major reason we prefer Energy Star qualified bulbs is they don’t hum or buzz.

Consumer Reports magazine, in general, rated Felt Electric brand bulbs the highest, followed by GE brand bulbs.

CFL bulbs are available in four general styles: lamp spirals, ceiling spirals, recessed flood ceiling lights and outdoor lights. CFLs perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, so for recessed fixtures, it is better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral CFL. Some spirals are covered with a "bulbous" casing for aesthetics.

CFL bulbs are not perfect. They contain about five milligrams of mercury, (one percent of the amount in old thermometers) which is toxic. While recycling is important to make sure the mercury isn’t released into the environment, recycling programs for the bulbs are lacking. Still, of all the CFL bulbs we have installed over the last two years, not one has yet burn out.

If your CFL bulb does break, first open the windows and leave the room for 15 minutes. On hard floors, don’t sweep. Instead, wear rubber gloves and use cardboard or stiff paper to scoop up the mess. When finished, wipe the area with a damp paper towel. On rugs, use sticky tape to pick up any powder or debris before vacuuming.

Place all debris, fragments and glass gathered into a plastic bag, seal it, and then place that bag in another plastic bag and seal it. Do the same with your vacuum bag. If you have a bagless sweeper, double bag the contents collected, then wipe the collection bin with a damp paper towel and bag it too. When finished, make sure you wash your hands.