Monday, November 12, 2007

Compact Flourescent Bulbs

Have you bought any of these? I got my first around twenty years ago to go in a fixture over the dining room table. It was pricey. Now you can get them for about two bucks at Walmart.

A lot of the touts I hear are about all the CO2 I'll prevent by using them. I was always more interested in these points that the Department of Energy makes about life time cost savings.
  • ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
  • Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.
  • Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.
So, I've done my bit:
  • Two bulbs in the upstairs bathroom fixture.
  • One bulb in the hall ceiling fixture.
  • Two bulbs in table lamps in the bedroom.
  • Four bulbs in fixtures in the living room.
  • Two bulbs in the kitchen (including the stove hood, which is usually turned on about 16 hours a day).
  • Two bulbs in the downstairs bathroom fixture.
  • One (3-way) bulb in a floor lamp here in my office, along with my fluorescent desk lamp (the same bulb has been in this lamp for about 20 years now).
According to the cost calculator at that DOE website, my kitchen hood lamp pays for itself in about a month. That's good, because these bulbs aren't really intended to be used in damp environments like above steamy pots or near a shower. I replace the kitchen bulb about once a year. With incandescents it was about every 6 weeks.
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2 comments:

Metroplexual said...

I bought them a year ago. Other than key reading spots in the house we have mostly converted. We have been mostly content and in fact have seen about $10 a month in savings. My 12 year old is a budding greenie so it is good with her. My personal feelings about them;

They cast a less warm glow.

They don't flicker like other Flourescents which is good

The light seems dim for the wattage/lumens.

They have potential for polluting the interior of your house with mercury.

I am looking forward to compact LEDs which will conserve even more energy.

9:56 AM
Michael Ryan said...

Mostly I have felt pretty good about them. Maybe it's just the working in offices, always under fluorescent lights, that makes it seem normal.I use them in particular in reading areas (3-way in my office, bedstand lamps, etc.)

I hadn't known about the mercury thing until a few months ago, coinciding with the first time I ever broke one (let go before it was screwed in tight). up until then i had always just tossed them when they wore out (and they do).

what they haven't said is what I am supposed to do with them?

7:49 PM

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