Compact Flourescent Bulbs

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steelersman

steelersman

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Lake Ridge, VA
Just wanted to know some people's opinions and thoughts on replacing incandesent bulbs with CFL's. If any of you have done it in your own homes and if you like the bulbs. And if you've noticed any reduction in your bill. I put a bunch in my home a year ago and the only thing I don't like is that they take a good couple of minutes to get bright. I especially like the flood lamp version of the CFL's. I have a bunch of them and they are quite bright (after 2 or 3 minutes or so) and only use 23 watts per bulb and put out I think it's the equivalent of a 100 or 150 watt halogen or incandesent.
 
I did my own house a good while back. I have no idea if it's had any effect on the bill or not. I'd rather think it just offset all the new ways my kids find to waste energy. The better brands are pretty bright right away. The el cheapo's are pretty dim at first, and get remarkably bright over a few minutes. Avoid the cheap CFL's.
 
mdshunk said:
I did my own house a good while back. I have no idea if it's had any effect on the bill or not. I'd rather think it just offset all the new ways my kids find to waste energy. The better brands are pretty bright right away. The el cheapo's are pretty dim at first, and get remarkably bright over a few minutes. Avoid the cheap CFL's.
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Ok. I'll probably get the higher end ones next time. I heard that if the bulb breaks you basically need to call the hazmat team in to clean up the mercury.
 
Flex said:
replaced 16 bulbs in my house my bill went down 28 dollars a month
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yeah mine went down some also. i think I'll take them to the county landfill and see if they take them instead of just dumping them in the trash can when they die.
 
steelersman said:
yeah mine went down some also. i think I'll take them to the county landfill and see if they take them instead of just dumping them in the trash can when they die.
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I think I'll take mine to the local EPA office and throw them in the lobby waste can.
 
steelersman said:
. . . they take a good couple of minutes to get bright.
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One way to minimize this is to burn new CFL's for at least 24 hours continuously; some say as much as 72 hours. They seem to then brighten faster and last longer.

Actually, the same applies to all fluorescents. I think it has something to do with fully vaporizing the mercury. It's known as "burning them in."
 
lets see mercury in CFL bulbs multiply by 50 million users we now have a heavy metal hazard greater then t12's and they outlawed t12's..I have issues and yes I use a few..and yes you need to burn them in to get best performance..and no it does not say that on the package but after installing several thousand florescent lights you learn..
 
When installing, I'd surely inspect your sockets and quit possible change some and or come back to the most used
and re-inspect, later.

I have an older aged home of 70 years, I noted some of the sockets had cracked from what I assume was heat
from the base. (this is from the outer edge inwards) I only caught this due to cleaning the globes :\

Remember that the heat is dissipated by the bulb and glow of a standard lamp usage.

Standard bulb is 90% heat, 10% light, I don?t know the ratio on CFL?s. The base of CFL's has a small IC board and works it heat out from its base and not so much dissipated from the glow of a CFL.

Yes there was a reduction in the light bill that was not met cause the family won't turn off the power usuage. : \ ...

I'd use Halogen Bulbs, (with the same - socket problem) if you demand "Lights On" service in an area!
 
hockeyoligist2 said:
Someone around your house needs to learn how to turn off lights when they aren't being used! :) My power bill is about $60 a month without heat/AC. (spring and fall)
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He is leaving them on. Turning them on and off shortens the life of these lamps!:grin:
 
hockeyoligist2 said:
Someone around your house needs to learn how to turn off lights when they aren't being used! :) My power bill is about $60 a month without heat/AC. (spring and fall)
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My bill is just over 80 now, 2 kids and wife home all day.
 
steelersman said:
Ok. I'll probably get the higher end ones next time. I heard that if the bulb breaks you basically need to call the hazmat team in to clean up the mercury.
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The mercury content of a CFL is no where near hazardous levels.

If they are disposed of properly, then we won't have a mercury in the landfill/new golf course/new ski slope problem.

If you do break one, you know what...read some of these!

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=how+to+clean+up+a+broken+CFL&btnG=Google+Search

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm

http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2008/03/11/what-to-do-about-a-broken-cfl-learned-the-hard-way/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/ask_treehugger_14.php

Oh, yeah, the dispose of them in the trash can in the lobby of the EPA is classic! As long as you don't mind a short stint in Gitmo, or where ever they're keeping suspected terrorists these days...:grin:

edit to correct spelling.
 
The mercury content of a CFL is no where near hazardous levels.


In one bulb but in 50 million there is hazardous levels of mercury and proper disposal, come on give us a break this is the American public we are talking about only 1% will be disposed of properly..
 
According to estimates of mercury exposure put out by the EPA, if you make the following assumptions:

1) If you use the bulb in a fashion that gets its expected life (eg. in applications where it is on for long periods, not turned on and off rapidly)

2) If you would use the incandescent bulb that you replace in the same fashion (so this doesn't fly if you take an 'on and off' incandescent and replace it with an always on CF)

3) If you dispose of the CF lamp in a landfill, and _all_ of the mercury in that CF lamp leaks out into the environment

4) Your energy supply is the 'average mix' found in the US

Then by using a CF bulb you will _reduce_ the net mercury leached into the environment for the production of light.

The reason is that we have so many coal fired power plants in the US, and there is a small amount of mercury in the coal, so when you burn the coal you emit that mercury into the air. The more electrically efficient bulb means less power used to produce the same light, and thus less mercury released into the environment. The total 'savings' of mercury on the power generation side is greater than the total mercury in the bulb.

There are lots of assumptions to make this assessment; for example other forms of power production put less mercury into the environment (making the CF look less healthy), but a significant portion of the mercury in the bulb remains bound to the bulb, even if cracked in a landfill (making CF look better).

-Jon
 
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