Energy saving light bulbs-good or bad?

[Charade]

I totally agree, but by 2014 incandescent bulbs will be outlawed, and we will not be able to purchase them. The government is forcing us to choose these bulbs sooner or later. THAT is what gets me angered. Where in the constitution does it state that they have this right??

This reminds me of the shower head episode on Seinfeld.

 

[DISUNC]

Gotta say, I HATE energy saving light bulbs. I havent yet seen one that is worth a darn. The flouresent light they give off is downright depressing. The few second delay is annoying as all heck. And the Mercury thing is !

GE & Sylvania are making MILLIONS on these, and how much $ & energy are they really saving the consumer?

Dont want um, Dont like um..aint gonna use them!

What next, reinvent the Wheel?

(does this post officially make me a 'Old Man'?)

Sounds to me like something to start slowly buying & hoarding and then sell on eBay in 2014. <-- Note the incandescent lightbulb in the smilie.

I have a friend who is already stockpiling lightbulbs. He buys a few every week!

 

[DISUNC]

Once, as a young child, I actually bit and broke a thermometer in my mouth.

I also broke one of these bulbs trying to put it in the light fixture. Went to the store and bought another bulb - yep, broke it too.

Whadda Klutz!

 

[Charade]

There are downsides to the new mercury bulbs, most of which have already been stated. They gained acceptance only because they could be called "energy savers." My wife bought a bunch of them before she talked to me about it and I had a fit. While they do save some electricity, they are not worth the hassle that goes with them. It's better to simply use conventional lights, but less. In other words, learn to turn lights off when they are not needed (duh).

I respectfully disagree. They save a lot of electricity when compared to identical usage for regular bulbs. In our basement we have 5 overhead bare bulbs. I used to have 100 watt regular bulbs in there. Now I have 5 CFLs. They run about 20 something watts each. So I'm using one fifth the amount of electricity. The other thing nice about the CFLs is the heat. In our powder room I used to use 3 100 watt ( for putting on make up and such (not me!)) but they generated a lot of heat. I now use 3 "100" watt CFLs. Much less (about 1/3 the amount) heat. The only drawback to these, and it depends on brand, is the warm up to full brightness time. Some come on almost full right away while others can take upwards of 30 seconds.

I'm not sure what percentage of our total electric bill is lighting but it's not insignificant, that's for sure.

I DO NOT like the idea of the government mandating their usage though.

The better choice would be LED but they're much more expensive than CFL. They last forever and use even less juice than CFLs.

 

[Charade]

Once, as a young child, I actually bit and broke a thermometer in my mouth.

I did the same thing!!

 

[mickeysgal]

(does this post officially make me a 'Old Man'?)

Yep, I think it does.

 

[Towncrier]

Philips makes not only compact flourescent bulbs, but a brand they call "Halogena". They fall somewhere between a standard incandescent bulb and the CF bulbs in energy use, but they can be used with dimmers. Instead of a standard filament, they use a tiny halogen bulb like the kind used in projectors. More light for less energy. And the halogena bulbs don't have any mercury in them.

For the record, I've had mixed success with CF bulbs, regardless of their manufacture. Some seem to burn out almost immediately. Others have lasted a long time. It's hit or miss with me.

What I am excited about are LED bulbs. I've replaced all of the bulbs in the track lights in our upstairs hallway with LED bulbs. They use less energy than CFs and should last for 100,000 hours. I say should, because I've already had one "burn out", or should I say the electronics in the bulb gave out. And the LED bulbs are not cheap. I paid $15 for one of the larger spotlight bulbs that goes into the track light fixture, and it only lasted about a year. I think that LEDs are the wave of the future and the CF bulbs are just a transistion to them. But that's my opinion and definitely not that of my employer. I wanted to make that perfectly clear because I work for Philips (but not in their lighting business). These opinions are strickly my own.

 

[GeorgeG]

I respectfully disagree. They save a lot of electricity when compared to identical usage for regular bulbs. In our basement we have 5 overhead bare bulbs. I used to have 100 watt regular bulbs in there. Now I have 5 CFLs. They run about 20 something watts each. So I'm using one fifth the amount of electricity. The other thing nice about the CFLs is the heat. In our powder room I used to use 3 100 watt ( for putting on make up and such (not me!)) but they generated a lot of heat. I now use 3 "100" watt CFLs. Much less (about 1/3 the amount) heat. The only drawback to these, and it depends on brand, is the warm up to full brightness time. Some come on almost full right away while others can take upwards of 30 seconds.

I'm not sure what percentage of our total electric bill is lighting but it's not insignificant, that's for sure.

I DO NOT like the idea of the government mandating their usage though.

The better choice would be LED but they're much more expensive than CFL. They last forever and use even less juice than CFLs.

You're correct about the CFLs using less electricity by providing more light at lower wattage. The same has been true with flourescent lights for many years. The point I am trying to make is that we can save on energy simply by using less. We all tend to use much more than we need.

On average, lighting isn't a significant part of a household electric bill, unless someone has to have the whole house lit up even when only one room is being used. The big electricity users in a house are appliances, including air conditioners. Just about anything with a motor uses far more electricity than lighting. Residential customers pay a rate by kilowatt-hours. Billing is based on what is called "active current," which is measured in watts. Commercial customers, especially those with large motors in use (machinery or even refrigeration), are billed additionally for "reactive current," with represents, among other things, the additional power used by motors on start-up, which is usually 5-6 times the normal running current. Reactive current is not measured by a typical residential meter and is calculated by a formula based on a total "power factor" for the equipment. The active and reactive current combined requires larger transformers to accommodate the total calculated "kilovolt-amperes" (KVA) of use and often requires installation of capacitors on the electric company distrubution system to further control the reactive current, which, on that scale, is measured in kilovolt-amperes-reactive, or KVARs. This also has an affect on voltage. Residential customers have motors, but they are much smaller and do not contribute significant reactive current compared to commercial customers, so they are billed strictly on use of active current. I'm sure part of those rates are calculated to cover that.

I know, more than you wanted to know. There's more to it, but "normal" use of lighting should not be cause for major concern. Real or perceived, the dangers from the new bulbs using mercury is a major issue with the environmentalists. The utility company I worked for used mercury vapor bulbs in streetlights for years and there are strict guidelines for handling and disposing of those bulbs. Kind of creating a new problem to solve an old one...

 

[mickeysgal]

Real or perceived, the dangers from the new bulbs using mercury is a major issue with the environmentalists. The utility company I worked for used mercury vapor bulbs in streetlights for years and there are strict guidelines for handling and disposing of those bulbs. Kind of creating a new problem to solve an old one...

You got that right.

I will guarantee you that in the majority of homes across America, the "proper" disposal techniques will not be used. We'll clean up a broken bulb just like we've always done - without masks, mops, face masks, and vacating the premises.

 

[Charade]

Real or perceived, the dangers from the new bulbs using mercury is a major issue with the environmentalists.

Which is ironic because they are the ones pushing for their mandated usage.

Remember "If everyone switched out just 5 bulbs in their homes, it would be like taking 8 million cars off the road".

 

[luvmy3]

Which is ironic because they are the ones pushing for their mandated usage.

Remember "If everyone switched out just 5 bulbs in their homes, it would be like taking 8 million cars off the road".

Because they use less power, the power plants will release less mercury and other toxins into the air, since we as consumers will be using less electricity in our home. I guess to the environmentalist that benefit outweighs any danger that the bulbs themselves pose.

I don't have any in my home yet and probably won't until I have to. I just turn off my lights when I'm not in a room, or not even use them like during daylight hours, just like I always have.

 

[DISUNC]

Yep, I think it does.

 

[Towncrier]

Not sure if this link has been posted yet, but I recalled reading about someone who accidentally broke a CFL bulb and then contacted state authorities to find out how to safely cleanup the broken bulb.

Fluorescent Bulb Break Creates Costly Hassle

 

[Charade]

Not sure if this link has been posted yet, but I recalled reading about someone who accidentally broke a CFL bulb and then contacted state authorities to find out how to safely cleanup the broken bulb.

Fluorescent Bulb Break Creates Costly Hassle

Wow!

I bet most people would have vaccumed it up just like a normal bulb.

I wonder what it will be like in 20 years when everyone has these things? Babies with two heads?

 

[Cool-Beans]

The bulbs use less energy, but the mercury is bad for the environment. The environmentalists are fighting with each other over whether or not these bulbs should be used.

When one breaks, you aren't supposed to clean it up. You're supposed to call some Hazmat people for instructions on how to clean it up and then (after cleaning and bagging properly), drive it somewhere for someone else to throw it out. I don't know who actually does all that (I didn't), but that's what you're supposed to do.

I broke a flourescent bulb a couple weeks ago. What a mess! It goes POP! and glass - little teeny, tiny shards of glass - go EVERYWHERE!!! The force sends them flying. And the whole place is just covered in itty bitty pieces of broken glass.

Rebel that I am, I cleaned the mess up and threw it all in the trash. Somewhere, an environmental enthusiast had a headache and didn't know why.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I am absolutely shocked that people break light bulbs so often. I don't recall ever breaking a light bulb in my life.

Aren't these going to be mandatory in a few years? Do they make ones that go into chandeliers and wall fixtures like the ones in bathrooms that look like regular bulbs? I think these are so ugly and I'd hate to put them in my entry and dining room chandeliers.

They make ones in all different shapes and sizes and for all different purposes. Where I live, these light bulbs are all you can get and it has been that way for 2 years now. This is such old news to me. Nobody here is complaining.

While they do save some electricity, they are not worth the hassle that goes with them. It's better to simply use conventional lights, but less. In other words, learn to turn lights off when they are not needed (duh).

I agree that we should be conserving electricity (and I do) but the government can't go into people's homes and force them to turn off lights that aren't being used. They can, however, make it so that the only light bulbs available use small amounts of energy.

Also, I'm not sure what hassle you are talking about? You buy them, put them in, and when they burn out, you change them. They last longer than regular bulbs so to me they are actually less of a hassle.

Decades ago we somehow managed to survive lead is gasoline and asbestos in our walls. Both, and mercury, pose very real hazards, but if CFC bulbs are truly half as dangerous as they sound in the clean-up procedures, they shouldn't be on the market.

Have you ever read the precautions in the booklet that comes with your blender, toaster, or hair dryer? These appliances sound really dangerous too based on what's written on the packaging. However, we all know that warnings anticipate worst case scenarious (i.e. idiots buying these products who wouldn't realize on their own that you shouldn't make toast while taking a bath).

For the record, I've had mixed success with CF bulbs, regardless of their manufacture. Some seem to burn out almost immediately. Others have lasted a long time. It's hit or miss with me.

That's really interesting. We moved here over a year ago and put in all energy saving bulbs and we have changed only one light bulb so far.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

The bulbs use less energy, but the mercury is bad for the environment. The environmentalists are fighting with each other over whether or not these bulbs should be used.

When one breaks, you aren't supposed to clean it up. You're supposed to call some Hazmat people for instructions on how to clean it up and then (after cleaning and bagging properly), drive it somewhere for someone else to throw it out. I don't know who actually does all that (I didn't), but that's what you're supposed to do.

Are you talking about low-energy bulbs? Can I ask where you are getting your information from about disposing of a broken one? That's not the instructions given with the bulbs or recommended by our government.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Are you talking about low-energy bulbs? Can I ask where you are getting your information from about disposing of a broken one? That's not the instructions given with the bulbs or recommended by our government.

You can find this at energystar.gov

I didn't actually read it all. DH had read it to me out of the newspaper ages ago, but I forgot until he called and I told him I was cleaning up broken glass from the bulb I'd dropped. He started saying, "Well, you're supposed to blah, blah, blah..." Funny man. Now he gets to change the bulbs when they start doing that flicker thing.

Had I actually used tape, I'd still be there, picking up little shards of glass.

How many government morons does it take to issue statements on how to clean up a light bulb?

How should I clean up a broken fluorescent bulb?

Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal
guidelines:

1. Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

 Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.

 Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

 Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

 Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with
metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.

 Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass pieces and powder.

 Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.

 Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:

 Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a
sealed plastic bag.

 Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.

 If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.

 Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic
bag.

4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:

 If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside
the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or
bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.

 You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken
CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not
come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.

 If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off
with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for
disposal.

5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials

 Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash
pickup.

 Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.

 Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not
allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a
local recycling center.

6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

 The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a
window before vacuuming.

 Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after

vacuuming is completed.

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ETA: I just started to read it and I especially like the part about how I'm supposed to fly out of the room because I must leave, but cannot walk through. Those people really are idiots.

 

[Towncrier]

Are you talking about low-energy bulbs? Can I ask where you are getting your information from about disposing of a broken one? That's not the instructions given with the bulbs or recommended by our government.

Not sure about the labeling requirements in Canada, but here's a link to an article that talks about labeling requirements in Connecticut:

Compact Fluorescent lamps

I have to admit that the ones that I have had that burned out went into the garbage can. If there had been a place to "properly dispose" of them, I would have made the effort to do so, but I know of no such place in my community.

 

[Quest4fun]

Pretty much every bulb in my house is energy saving. We save quite a bit in electricity.

Since we've had fluorescent lighting since the late 1920's I wouldn't worry too much about them. Yes they contain harmful chemicals that would have some terrible effects on you if you were to snort it.

In this day and age you come into contact with terrible contaminants. You'd be amazed at what is in the average person's tap water!

Be sensible. In this situation the pros outweigh the cons. Your chances of growing a second head or becoming sterile are slim to none.