Change those bulbs for CFLs
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A CFL bulb, also known as a compact fluorescent lamp, compact fluorescent light bulb, or an energy-saving light bulb, is a type of lamp that fits into a standard light bulb socket. Buying a CFL bulb helps because CFL bulbs are significantly more efficient than standard (incandescent) bulbs.
Find it! CFL bulbs
Today’s CFL bulbs bear little resemblance to those nasty, flickery fluorescent bulbs that made everyone look yellow and deathly ill before the turn of the century. The quality of light’s terrific, they last much longer than regular bulbs (eight or 10 times!), save money ($50 per bulb!), and cut energy usage dramatically. Some are even ENERGY STAR qualified, meaning they’ll be ultra-efficient. Just remember: all CFLs should be recycled when they stop shining.
- Energy Wiser 5-Watt Torpedo Candelabra Base CFL
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Save energy and lower your carbon footprint with this stylish compact fluorescent bulb that's specially designed to work in sconces and chandeliers. Bulbs measure 4.3 inches and produce an average of 8,000 hours of warm white light (3,000 Kelvins) over their lifetime. - GE Energy Smart Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs
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Select from among GE's extensive array of energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs—everything from spiral CFLs for your room lamps to outdoor floodlights. CFLs produce light when a gas inside the bulb becomes excited by electricity and hits a coating that emits light. - Globe 15-Watt R30 Indoor/Outdoor Compact Fluorescent Flood Reflector Bulb
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Equivalent to a 50W incandescent bulb, these ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs are great for large surface areas, both inside and out. They’re set to shine for 8,000-10,000 hours, eight to 10 times longer than similar incandescents. - Globe 23-Watt Mini Compact Fluorescent Spiral Bulb, Soft White
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Want a replacement for your dimmable light bulbs? Look no further. These CFLs fit most standard medium base bulb fixtures, replace your energy-wasting 100W bulbs, are ENERGY STAR qualified, and warranted for 5 years. - Ikea 11-watt Sparsam
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Save energy—and money—with these low-priced (3 for $3.99) Ikea Sparsam compact fluorescent bulbs. Ikea claims its bulbs, which are specifically designed for table and standing lamps, last six times longer than regular incandescents (about 6,000 hours) and use 80 percent less electricity. Sparsam bulbs are available in Ikea stores only. - Lumiram Ecolume full-spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs
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Lumiram's Ecolume line of compact fluorescents come in five wattages (15 W, 20 W, 23 W, 25 W, 3 Way) and several different designs, including spiral. Bulbs emit full-spectrum natural light, according to the company, making them good for use anywhere in your home. - n:vision 14-Watt R-30 Soft White CFL
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Great for flood lights, these bulbs use 75 percent less energy than 65W incandescents, saving $82 per bulb. Its color is warm and it lasts four times as long as standard bulbs. All n:vision bulbs are ENERGY STAR qualified. - Sylvania 14-watt compact fluorescent bulb
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Replace your regular 60-watt incandescent light bulbs with these 14-watt CFLs. Measuring 5 inches, they provide the same amount of soft white light as 60 watt incandescents (often slightly more) and last at least five times longer (about 8,000 hours). Sylvania claims one compact fluorescent bulb pays for itself with lower electricity costs after only five months.
Before you buy
One important thing to note: choose the appropriate color temperature for the bulb, measured in “K’s” (kelvins). Color temperature is often marked on the package. Here are types of color temperature to look for:
- “Warm white” or “Soft white” (2700 K to 3000 K). What you’ll want most often—looks like incandescent light, but slightly yellower (not noticeable behind a lampshade or frosted casing).
- “Bright white” (3500 K). Not as “warm” as “warm white,” and sometimes good for work situations where you need bright light and precision (e.g. your basement workbench).
Also, because the bulbs are so much more efficient, you need a much lower wattage than you’re used to with incandescent bulbs to get the same amount of light. For example, an 18-watt CFL bulb generates about the same amount of light as a 75-watt incandescent bulb. All bulb boxes show the conversion for you. As a rule of thumb, multiply the CFL Bulb wattage by five to get the incandescent equivalent (four for CFL bulbs greater than 25 watts).
CFL bulbs help you go green because…
- Switching from traditional incandescent light bulbs reduces your electricity usage, typically by 65 percent to 80 percent.
- CFLs have a rated life eight to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs.
- CFLs (often $3 - $9 apiece) are slightly higher in cost than incandescent bulbs but pay back for themselves, typically within a few hundred hours of usage.
- Each 75-watt incandescent bulb you replace with an equivalent CFL, for example, can save you over $50 in electricity costs over the lifetime of that bulb.
Lighting accounts for 5-10 percent of the total energy use in an average US home and nearly 28 percent of total office energy consumption.[1][2] Lighting is responsible for using about a fourth of all electricity consumed in the United States.[3] The energy used in the average home can be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car.[4]
CFL bulbs and mercury
According to ENERGY STAR, CFLs are safe to use in the home. They contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing—an average of 5 milligrams (roughly equivalent to the tip of a ball-point pen). By comparison, traditional thermometers contain 500 milligrams of mercury—more than 100 times the amount in one CFL.[5]
Some manufacturers, such as Philips, make very low mercury content CFL bulbs. [6]
Disposing of CFL bulbs
Because of this small amount of mercury, you should recycle CFL bulbs.
- Don't throw CFLs away in your household garbage if you can find a better option. To find out what to do check the following website: Earth 911.
- You can also check directly with your local waste management agency for recycling options and disposal guidelines in your community. Additional information is available at lamprecycle.org
- IKEA stores take back used CFLs, and other retailers are currently exploring take-back programs.
- If your local waste management agency offers no other disposal options except your household garbage, place the CFL in a plastic bag and seal it before putting it in the trash. If your waste agency incinerates its garbage, you should search a wider geographic area for proper disposal options. Never send a CFL or other mercury-containing product to an incinerator.
- ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs have a two-year warranty. If the bulb fails within the warranty period, return it to your retailer.
Note that coal power plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions into the environment. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the mercury released from powering an incandescent bulb from a coal plant for five years exceeds the sum of the mercury released by powering a CFL for the same period and the mercury contained in the lamp.[7]
What to do if a CFL bulb breaks
Because there is such a small amount of mercury in CFLs, your greatest risk if a bulb breaks is getting cut from glass shards. Research indicates that there is no immediate health risk to you or your family should a bulb break and it’s cleaned up properly. You can minimize any risks by following these proper clean-up and disposal guidelines:
- Sweep up all of the glass fragments and fine particles.
- Place broken pieces in a sealed plastic bag and wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up any stray shards of glass or fine particles. Put the used towel in the plastic bag as well.
- If weather permits, open windows to allow the room to ventilate.
External links
- Rocky Mountain Institute - Home Energy Briefs - #2 Lighting
- ENERGY STAR - Mercury Fact Sheet
- ENERGY STAR - Light Bulbs and Fixtures
- General Electric - Frequently Asked Questions: Compact Fluorescent (CFL)
- National Public Radio - Do Fluorescent Bulbs Light the Way to the Future?
- ENERGY STAR - Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
- Howstuffworks - Are fluorescent bulbs really more efficient than normal light bulbs?
- One Billion Bulbs
Footnotes
- Florida Power and Light - Lighting Incentives: Turn On the Savings
- Public Works and Government Services Canada - An Architect's Guide for Sustainable Design of Office Buildings: Reducing Lighting Energy
- Rocky Mountain Institute - Home Energy Briefs: #2 Lighting
- ENERGY STAR - Light Bulbs and Fixtures
- ENERGY STAR - Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs and Mercury
- Philips - Press Release: Philips announces reduction in mercury content of its CFL lamps to record Industry lows
- National Electrical Manufacturers Association - Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps
