F you discuss energy efficiency as much as I do, you are bound to hear someone voice their displeasure with the CFL. I should probably clarify that I’m not talking about the Canadian Football League.
Craig Hendrickson
Residential Energy Auditor
My light is yellow.
The next time you find yourself in the store looking at a package of CFLs, look closely for a four-digit number followed by the letter “K.” For whatever reason, this information will be in the smallest print possible, but it will be there.
The letter “K” stands for Kelvin. Kelvin is a measure- ment of temperature and temperature affects the color of the light. Lower Kelvin numbers make the light appear more yellow; higher Kelvin numbers make the light blue. Some- where in between the two is a happy medium that produces a white light.
CFLs range from 2700 K to 6500 K. For a whiter light (and to me a brighter light), look for CFLs rated 3500 K to 4100 K. Incandescent bulbs range from 2700 K to 3000 K.
My CFL bulb has mercury. CFLs do contain a trace amount of mer-
cury, but so does your watch battery. In fact your watch battery has more mercury than a CFL. Incandescent bulbs have no mercury, but they use four times more energy than a CFL. That means a coal-fired plant which emits sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and, yes, you guessed it, mercury, is working four times longer to operate those incandescent bulbs.
My CFL needs to be recycled.
How can I recycle my CFLs, you ask? Home Depot stores will take your unbroken CFL bulbs at no cost to you.
10 Northeast Connection
I am referring instead to the compact fluores- cent light bulb. I am a fan of the bulb, but I understand why others are not. Let’s address each concern.
Where’s the love for those CFLs? I
If the bulb is broken, check out the cleanup procedure online at
energystar.gov.
Recent studies also show that, as a CFL is used, much of the mercury vapor is fused to the inside of the bulb. So even if it is broken, a CFL may have less mercury escape than previously believed.
My CFL bulb is ugly.
Many do not like the spiral, “squiggly” shape of CFL bulbs. They do represent a sharp contrast to the sleek, rounded incandescents we grew up with.
The truth is that almost every demand for lighting can now be found in a CFL format. This includes: vanity bulbs, bug lights, bell-shaped floodlights and spotlights, small candelabra bulbs with both small and large bases, three-way bulbs and dimmable bulbs.
My CFL bulb didn’t last very long.
Most CFL brands say their product will last ten times longer than incandescent bulbs. Maybe yours didn’t last that long. Your bulb may have been one of the early models, or it may have just been plain defective.
I’ve had pretty good luck with mine. Most of them have lasted for years. The good news is that the bulbs being manufactured these days are even better. When you pull a package of CFLs off the store shelf, you don’t know how old the bulb is. It could have been a early model or maybe it has been stored in a warehouse for who knows how long. Look at the package for evidence of a newer bulb. Features such as “instant on” didn’t come along until later generations of manufactur- ing. Keep the bulbs original package and staple the receipt to it. If the bulb goes bad, return it back to the store so they can deliver a message of dissatisfaction to the manufacturer.
There’s got to be something better. There is if you are willing to pay a little
more up front. LED (short for “light-emitting diode”) bulbs are here and are getting cheaper with time. Keep an eye out as prices drop. An LED bulb is supposed to last about three times longer than a CFL bulb.
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