After reading some material from the Piedmont Environmental Council on compact fluorescent light bulbs, my wife and I started replacing our incandescent lightbulbs with CFLs as the old bulbs burned out. The claims about the CFLs sound good:
Because CFLs are so much more efficient than incandescent bulbs, a family can expect to save $30-60 in energy costs per bulb over its lifetime.
However, I want to share some personal observations:
- It is said that CFLs will last five years, but the one pictured above lasted only one year.
- Some CFLs do not turn on right away after flicking the light switch.
- Many CFLs are large/bulky and may not fit in some light fixtures.
- Packaging on lower wattage CFLs claim that they are equivalent to higher wattage incandescent bulbs. However, after replacing some incandescent bulbs, I am not convinced the CFL light is really equivalent.
- CFLs contain mercury so they must recycled separately.
- My friend Mike R. reports that CFLs do not work well in cold weather so they should not be used within outdoor fixtures in cold climates.
If you want to try CFLs, I recommend staying away from the generic brands. I’m not giving up on the CFL just yet; the Sylvania micro-mini bulb appears to be doing a decent job so far and it fits into small light fixtures. However, if I was trying to sell my house, I think I would provide pleasing light by reverting back to the tried-and-true incandescent lightbulb.
2 Comments
So, based on your non-scientific research, you’re dissing CFLs. Try again when you’ve got real data. And by the way, get a light meter.
Brantl — Thank you for taking the time to comment. You are correct that I do not have a light meter and this article was based on personal observations rather than a scientific study.
However, I know I am not the only one who is not overly impressed with light from CFLs.
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