Lately light bulbs have been all the rage. The news about the phase-out of incandescent bulbs and the recommended switch to CFL has been ubiquitous (including, unfortunately, Michelle Bachman and her ridiculous ‘Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act’). Insane politics aside, it’s hard to win a debate over the benefits of CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs versus the traditional incandescent. There’s a nice website here that gives a lovely graphic on how much CLFs save the consumer in energy costs, as well as how they positively impact the environment.
In short, the CFL bulb…
– can save more than $40 in electricity costs over its lifetime
– uses about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 10 times longer
– produces about 75% less heat, so it’s safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling
Though CLFs cost a bit more money than incandescent bulbs when you buy them at the store, the fact that you will spend less money in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb, coupled with the positive environmental impact (less energy usage overall), creates one of those rare and elusive win-win situations. It’s true that the light quality of CLFs might be a bit harsher in terms of the light they cast and that some consumers were a bit down on it initially (discussed in an article from a few years ago in the NY Times)… but giving up a little light quality to create huge efficiency seems like an acceptable trade-off.
And… for those that are just not down with CLFs, there’s already another potential option currently emerging onto the market, also noted in the NY Times. LED lighting!
Okay, so there are 2 great options to incandescent bulbs, but the outstanding question for me is this: is it better to just use an incandescent until it burns out, and then replace it, or to remove it right away and replace it? This was the thought that came to my mind as I stared up at the (mostly unused since I don’t like overhead lighting) overhead bulbs on my apartment ceiling.
It seems like it’s wasteful in a different way to throw out something that’s operational and functioning properly. Will these incandescent bulbs just end up in land fill?
Such a great conversation about this question here:
Another point of view – this author is in favor of using incandescent bulbs until they burn out, and then replacing them – here.
(This article also mentions another important fact: that CFLs need to be properly disposed of, since they contain a small amount of mercury. As a comparative, the content of mercury is much less than even a standard home thermometer.)
So my plan is: wait until LEDs are on the marketing and check them out then… a little more costly, sure, but sounds like the lack of mercury plus the energy savings AND the nice light quality might be just want I’m looking for. And fingers crossed, the incandescent bulbs will be close to burned out by then.
