| In case you hadn't noticed, the "Green Movement" is | | | | when you decide to make the switch. |
| taking hold. More and more people are realizing that | | | | 1. CFL's have a higher initial cost. |
| we, as individuals, need to do something about | | | | 2. CFL's do not work well in places where the light is |
| pollution, and we need to start now. | | | | switched on and off frequently. This will reduce the |
| The problem is that with all the media hype, most | | | | life span of the bulb. |
| people think it's too hard a job to go green. In truth, | | | | 3. Not all CFL' can be used with dimmer switches. |
| there are literally thousands of easy ways to go | | | | Special bulbs are required for this application. Again |
| green. One of the most cost efficient and easiest | | | | the life of the bulb will be shortened. |
| ways to go green is to switch from incandescent | | | | 4. Some timer mechanisms are incompatible with |
| light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). | | | | CFL's. |
| History of Early Compact Fluorescent Bulbs | | | | 5. Not all bulbs are suitable for outdoor use. Low |
| Not many people realize that fluorescent light bulbs | | | | temperatures may reduce light levels. |
| have been around since the 1800's. In the 1970's, | | | | 6. CFL's contain a small amount of mercury which is |
| General Electric improved the design, but found it | | | | toxic. Mercury vapor can be released if the bulb is |
| was too expensive to build factories to mass | | | | broken. |
| produce the bulbs. The use of these bulbs was | | | | 7. Bulbs of inferior quality are showing up on the |
| generally limited to office buildings, garages and under | | | | store shelves and may not be of high quality and will |
| the kitchen cabinets. | | | | not last as long. |
| In addition, the light they gave off was not of the | | | | Despite the negatives, CFL's have become extremely |
| quality we expected from an incandescent light bulb. | | | | popular in the last several years. |
| The shape also restricted their use to a fixture that | | | | Benefits of CFL's |
| would allow the use of a long tubular bulb. They could | | | | Replacing one 60 watt standard bulb with a 15-w CFL |
| not be easily used in table lamps, desk lamps or floor | | | | will save you more than $40 in electricity costs over |
| lamps. | | | | the life of the bulb if you use it 6 hours a day. Add |
| Another factor that limited their use was that they | | | | to that less trips to the store, and less money spent |
| often flickered and made an annoying humming noise. | | | | on replacement bulbs, the savings are significant. |
| In recent years, all that has changed. Improvements | | | | Multiply that times the number of light bulbs you have |
| in the bulbs, especially with the development of the | | | | in your home and you could realize a significant |
| electronic ballast, have eliminated most of the | | | | savings in both money and energy consumption. |
| negative features that made them less popular in the | | | | Some states require that burned out CFL's be |
| past. | | | | disposed of at a hazardous waste facility (the |
| The Pros of Compact Fluorescent Lamp, (CFL'S) | | | | preferred method of disposal) while most |
| Listed here are some of the positive reasons to | | | | municipalities allow them to be disposed of in regular |
| switch to CFL's: | | | | trash. Stores like Home Depot and Ikea are offering |
| 1. CFL's now are shaped to fit nearly all our light | | | | easy recycling for CFL's. |
| fixtures. | | | | CFL's do contain a small amount of mercury and |
| 2. The light they give off is comparable to traditional | | | | opponents to these bulb cite that as a major |
| light bulbs. | | | | drawback. One should just remember to never |
| 3. They use 75-80% less electricity then traditional | | | | incinerate these type bulbs. This will disperse the |
| light bulbs. | | | | mercury into the atmosphere. |
| 4. A 60w standard bulb can be replaced with a | | | | Conclusion |
| 13-15w CFL Bulb to give the same amount of light. | | | | The benefits of CFL's have become evident in terms |
| 5. The CFL bulbs last ten times longer. The average | | | | of the amount of energy saved and the amount of |
| life span of a CFL is ten times longer than that of a | | | | green house gasses that are not being pumped into |
| standard light bulb. | | | | the atmosphere. If everyone in the US used CFL's |
| 6. Using CFL's will keep a half ton of CO2 out of the | | | | we could retire 90 average size power plants. |
| atmosphere over the lifetime of the bulb. | | | | In an effort to reduce greenhouse gasses, Australia |
| 7. The CFL bulb is less hot to touch, so is easier to | | | | and Canada have already banned the use of |
| change if it had been lit. | | | | incandescent bulbs and the United States has passed |
| 8. There will be eight less incandescent light bulbs that | | | | legislation that is phasing out the manufacture of |
| find their way into landfills if CFL's are used. | | | | incandescent light bulbs and will ban them entirely by |
| 9. CFL's now come in many designs and can be used | | | | the year 2012. |
| for many different applications. | | | | Replacing energy-hogging incandescent bulbs with |
| 10. The installation of CFL's can earn a discount with | | | | energy-saving fluorescents (CFLs) is a simple, |
| some utility companies. | | | | effective way to slow the rate of global climate |
| The Cons of Modern Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, | | | | change while saving money. It's good for the |
| (CFL'S) | | | | environment, it's economical, it's efficient, and it's |
| As with anything, there are some negative features | | | | easy. |
| to these bulbs that should be taken into consideration | | | | |