Monday, March 2, 2009
By John I. Carney
(Photo)
Two-thirds of the respondents to a non-scientific Times-Gazette web site poll say they have replaced some or all of the incandescent light bulbs in their homes with compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs.
CFLs, which are basically fluorescent bulbs twisted into a spiral so that they can occupy the same fixtures as a normal light bulb, cost more to purchase than traditional incandescent bulbs but use up to 75 percent less electricity and last far longer.
'This is new technology and they save you money,' said one poll respondent.
Out of 455 web site voters, 223 -- or 49 percent -- said they use some CFLs, while another 80 -- 17.6 percent -- have replaced all of their incandescent bulbs with CFLs. The remaining 152, or 33.4 percent, say they haven't switched to CFLs.
Electric bills for everyone have risen in recent months, with a TVA fuel surcharge jumping at about the same time winter weather hit. That's left some local residents looking for ways to save money. Lighting accounts for 20 percent of the average home's electric bill, according to the federal government.
But not everyone is happy with CFLs.
'I do not like them,' said one respondent. 'They do not shine as brightly and better not break or there will be hazardous waste discharged.'
CFLs do contain mercury, as the commenter indicated.
According to the U.S. government's 'Energy Star' web site, energystar.gov, CFLs 'contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing -- an average of 4 milligrams. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury -- an amount equal to the mercury in 125 CFLs. Mercury is an essential part of CFLs; it allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use.'
Even so, the bulbs are supposed to be recycled rather than thrown out with regular trash. One major home improvement chain takes the bulbs, but there's nowhere in Bedford County they can be turned in. Bedford County recycling coordinator Gay Ervin said that in the past, she recommended that the bulbs be brought to the annual Household Hazardous Waste cleanup in Bedford County, but the state is not going to fund an HHW event in Bedford County this year. Ervin said the bulbs could be taken to an HHW event in another community.
Energy Star says the amount of mercury released into the environment by broken CFLs is less than the amount which would be released by generating the electric power to fuel incandescent bulbs. However, says the government, the best thing for the environment is not to break CFLs and to dispose of them responsibly.
Some commenters in the web site poll were unhappy because they don't find CFLs as bright as the incandescent bulbs they are rated to replace, although one noted that they seem to get brighter after they've been left on for a while. That same commenter also praised CFLs' much-longer life span.
'None have burned out yet,' said the commenter. 'It has been months on a few of them.' The government says the bulbs last up to 10 times longer than incandescents.
Another commenter noted that perhaps the best energy-saving idea is less about what kind of bulb you use but about what you do with it.
'The best saving is to cut them off when leaving a room,' said the commenter.
Voluntary web site polls are considered non-scientific because there's no way to guarantee that the people who choose to participate in the poll represent a true cross-section of the target population.
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My bulbs always burn out pretty quick and these do last longer however, we broke one accidentally and had to read the instructions on how to clean up the mess...after looking up the instructions on the internet...which was in the same room as the bulb, Of course the first one was to immediately leave the area. I don't mind the bulbs too badly. After they have been used for a while they come on much faster than when you first put them in. I have to use a stronger wattage to achieve the brightness I had before but I seriously hate not knowing where to dispose of those things. I have a burned out one now I'm 'saving' till I figure out how to get rid of it. I'm afraid there will be a lot of those in dumps and landfills since few will go to the trouble to dispose of them properly. I really can not tell much difference in my electric bill. My bill has jumped into crazy numbers the last 2 or 3 months. The bad thing is...we have no choice but to pay what they charge or learn how to live without electricity.
-- Posted by justmytwocentsworth on Tue, Mar 3, 2009, at 2:51 PM
It took a while to get used to the different look of the light from the CFLs, but I'm used to them now and don't notice it. I can always tell homes that have the CFLs because there is a bluish glow coming from the windows as opposed to the yellowish color coming from non-CFL homes!
-- Posted by welkin61 on Tue, Mar 3, 2009, at 11:21 AM
Just night before last I smelled a very strong electrical type smell. From the strong smell, I was afraid my home might have an electrical short and was on fire. After a frantic search I realized that the CFL bulb had burned at the base and was not working. This was one of four bulbs from a prize give away. This is the last one. The other bulbs were guaranteed for a year and the others virtually burned out at one year. No noticed change in my electric bill either. I am definitely going back to the 'old' bulbs. This will give me peace of mind and less hazardous waste in the landfills.
-- Posted by countryliving on Tue, Mar 3, 2009, at 8:55 AM
I am using them and they do last longer but I definitely havent seen any savings toward my electric bill.
-- Posted by jaxspike on Mon, Mar 2, 2009, at 6:32 PM
We changed out 21 bulbs over the weekend and they did get brighter the longer they were on!
-- Posted by Disgusted on Mon, Mar 2, 2009, at 11:28 AM
I love my CFL's. They last forever, and once you let them warm up, they are pretty bright. But, you have to pay attention to which type of light you get. Some are suppose to be more like natural light and others are more fluorescent. I have those huge globe-style bulbs in both of our bathroom fixtures. Before we changed to CFL's you couldn't use those fixtures in the summer because they burn so hot. Now with the CFL's not only are they WAY more energy efficient, but they don't put off any heat. Downside is that they take about a minute to get to maximum light output...so sometimes you have to turn them on, go do something else for a sec, and then come back. But, it's a small price to pay for saving energy and not getting a 2nd degree sunburn from the heat!
-- Posted by jtjustice30 on Mon, Mar 2, 2009, at 9:44 AM"
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