TechGromit
Advanced Member
Posts:634
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| 06 Dec 2007 02:20 PM |
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I'm big on these Compact Fluorescent Bulbs right now. Since my house is all electric, I'm looking for ways to save electricity any way I can, I already have a programmable Thermostat that lowers the heat at night and during the day to 58 degrees. Now I'm on a Compact Fluorescent craze, I'm replacing every light I can with a Fluorescent version of the same light... well not every light, I seen Compact Fluorescent - 105 Watt - Full Spectrum 5000k lights and I like the idea of having the equivalent of 500 watt indensent bulbs for my garage. Anyway I was wondering about other peoples experiences with these bulbs, they are suppose to last for 7 years, but talking to a few people, they didn't get that kind of mileage out of them yet. Does anyone have any positve or negative experiences with them? |
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bpwrightwv
New Member
Posts:35
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| 08 Dec 2007 09:12 PM |
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I was talking with a realtor whose son is a contractor and putting CFLs in the home. I suggested he consider LED bulbs b/c they do not contain mercury like the CFLs, and she mentioned that she wasn't impressed with CFLs b/c they didn't last as long as they are billed.
Personally, as my normal bulbs burn out, I'll be replacing them with LED.
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meckjc
New Member
Posts:1
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| 09 Dec 2007 12:17 PM |
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I've been replacing incandescent bulbs with CF's for about a year (finally have it completed). My experience is about 50% of the CF's I've purchased at Home Depot have failed, either right out of the package or within a short period. Mostly they're the '60W equivalent' type bulbs. I would typically quit buying such an unreliable product, except that I collect the bulbs as they fail and return them to Home depot for free replacements. It's a pain, but so far I've only had to pay for them once. |
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canadiyank
New Member
Posts:9
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| 11 Jan 2008 09:08 PM |
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Yeah, I haven't found they've lasted as long as billed; however, the vast majority of the lighting in our house is CFL and I plan to keep it that way. The only thing that bothers me is sometimes they flicker...we have a fan fixture that one of the three bulbs flickers no matter what we do, so it's more likely the fixture's issue rather than the bulb, I'd think. In our old house I replaced them as the old ones burnt out. Our vanity lights in the bathroom are not all CFL so that's my current project, replacing those with the CFLs when they burn out. |
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| Meghan<br>check out my green-building blog: dreaminggreen.wordpress.com |
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Jelly
Veteran Member
Posts:1017
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| 12 Jan 2008 04:29 AM |
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I sure hope LED catches on, because the quality of fluorescent light is just not acceptable. |
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Cathy & Jody
New Member
Posts:2
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| 12 Jan 2008 03:05 PM |
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The CFL bulbs contain small amounts of lead and mercury, a neurotoxin, and the companies and federal government haven't come up with effective ways to get Americans to recycle them. The problem with the bulbs is that they'll break before they get to the landfill. When the bulbs break, they can contaminate the soil. Some states have outlawed putting CFL bulbs in the trash. There isn't a national infrastructure for the proper recycling of this product.
I think most people do want to recycle, but if it's not made easy, it doesn't happen. So if it's small enough to fit in a trash can, that's where it ends up.
Like paint, batteries, thermostats, and other hazardous household items, CFLs should be disposed of properly. Do not throw CFLs away in your household garbage if better disposal options exist. To find out what to do first check http://www.earth911.org/ (where you can find disposal options by using your zip code) or call 1-877-EARTH911 for local disposal options. Another option is to check directly with your local waste management agency for recycling options and disposal guidelines in your community. Additional information is available at http://www.lamprecycle.org/. Finally, 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. I'm not sure if I would trust the use of a product that comes with an EPA disposal warning. I reccomend LED. I have tried out these bulbs, then I learned of the serious health dangers in using them. Did you know that if you break one in your home you should open all windows and doors, leave the area for 15 minutes (to air out), put on rubber gloves & clean the area with a disposable towel & then place the broken glass, gloves and paper towel in a double lined sealable plastic bag and then take that to a proper facility to dispose of it. And it gets worse ! When these little energy saving jewels make it to the landfill and break there, they then contaminate the soil which then contaminates our drinking water. |
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canadiyank
New Member
Posts:9
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| 12 Jan 2008 08:03 PM |
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Yes, they say to air it out b/c of the chance some of the mercury may turn to gas, which is more easily absorbed into the body. I don't think there's a "serious health danger" to them, although you should take common-sense precautions in case a a possible breakage and recycle them properly. Read more about it here:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/05/ask_treehugger_14.phpLEDs seem to be another choice, and it sounds like ultra-low-mercury and mercury-free CFLs are on their way to the market. |
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| Meghan<br>check out my green-building blog: dreaminggreen.wordpress.com |
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Eric Moldenhauer
New Member
Posts:17
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| 12 Jan 2008 10:12 PM |
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meckjc---
Sorry about previous reply...got distracted by a crazy parrot in our house.
I'm wondering why you purchase CFL's @ Home Depot? I personally don't spend a dollar I don't have to in their stores...kind of like Sam's Club. You really need to check out the product line before you buy. If H/D is anything like Sam's Club, they buy in bulk on items which manufacture has been discontinued (that's how they can give such "low" prices). Therefore, when you take it home it is technilogically outdated. I buy my CFL's just about anywhere (except H/D) and they do just fine.
Jelly----
What is wrong with the lighting quality? I replaced 8-40 watt incandescent globe bulbs with 2-100 watt CFL in my master bath. Now, you can see everything you are doing (anywhere) in the room. And for the purpose of personal hygiene, they're great. You can see things that you wouldn't even notice in natural/incandescent light. Think about it: flourescent light, takes the place of flourescent paint, which is great for visual effects. Remember the blacklight poster days?
Sorry, but I disagree with both of you. Been there/done that/like it!!! I'll try anything once...twice if it feels good. |
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bwheeler1
New Member
Posts:40
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| 04 Apr 2008 04:05 PM |
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I read an article by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) on CFLs.
In a nutshell, they pointed out that the energy savings from CFLs only matter in warmer climates where air conditioning is a big part of the structure's energy consumption. However, in colder climates where there is more heating required, the savings may be negligible. That's because, the heat savings from replacing the incandescent bulb ends up being made up for by the furnace. |
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ANdad
New Member
Posts:91
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| 18 Apr 2008 09:39 AM |
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Mercury ----> more efficient lighting = less coal burned = less mercury in the atmosphere - so there are 2 ways 2 slice the mercury issue.
Less energy savings in cold climate ----------> electric resistance heat (what you get from an incandescent bulb) is much more expensive than any other form of heat so you do save money during both heating and cooling season. And remember even if you are saving only a little energy in the winter (because the heat is a somewhat bonus) with CF bulb you save DOUBLE in the summer because you use less electricity for lighting AND have to run the AC less. Overall you are saving a lot of energy in ANY climate.
Length of bulb - I put 2 CF bulbs in my outdoor lamp-post and wrote the day on my calendar. They lasted over 2 years (at 8 - 10 hours on per day) - my neighbors with incandescent change them every 2 months.
LED ------------> is only more efficient for TASK lighting - overall they don't have near the lumens per watt of CF - sure they do last a gazillion years - but they are even more expensive the CF and less efficient. The research on them is continuing and they will be here - just not yet.
Guys and Gals - remember - congress just OUTLAWED incandescent bulbs - they are going to be illegal to make in their present form by 2012 - so between LED and CF and sodium vapor we are going to have to figure out some way to do all this.
Todd |
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TechGromit
Advanced Member
Posts:634
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| 17 May 2008 11:57 PM |
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Posted By bwheeler1 on 04/04/2008 4:05 PM
I read an article by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) on CFLs.
In a nutshell, they pointed out that the energy savings from CFLs only matter in warmer climates where air conditioning is a big part of the structure's energy consumption. However, in colder climates where there is more heating required, the savings may be negligible. That's because, the heat savings from replacing the incandescent bulb ends up being made up for by the furnace. This might be true with Medival heating systems like "90%" effiencent Gas or oil based systems, but it's not true of Geothermal Systems where a basic system gets 250% effiencency and can be as high as 600% for some systems. |
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bobmar
New Member
Posts:1
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| 28 Jul 2008 07:53 PM |
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Quality of light and color of light is much better than it used to be. My biggest complaint is that many take several minutes to warm up and illuminate at full brightness. Others illuminate fully immediately, but there is not a way of telling which they are until you buy them and plug them in. The ones that take a while to warm up are not practical for rooms that are not lit for long times.
Also smaller ones encased in glass do not seem to last any longer than incadescent bulbs. The worst offenders seem to be the candalabra based ones with either a round or candle shaped glass covering the flourescent. They need to be replaced frequently enough that I wonder if I am really saving anything. It seems I am just trading a very slightly lower electric bill for higher charge card bills from Home Depot.
While using less electricity is green, disposal of the CFBs available to most people is not green. How long will it be before mercury shows up in the drinking water?
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 28 Jul 2008 11:03 PM |
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I have found the ones that take longer to warm up typically put out more lumens per watt (brighter for the same power). They also seem to last longer, but that could be just be me. I like them in the kitchen, mostly because at night if I flip them on they aren't as blinding. In our new house everything is either CF or LED with the exception of in the microwave, I did swap it out to LED and it worked for about 2 microwave runs, apparently LED’s and microwaves don’t play well together.
I agree, I wish every CF had a time to full brightness and a color temp on the package, more are adding a color temp coding, but it seems more and more are turning in to slow start. Our poolroom has 13 (nice number right) wall sconces and each has a 32w CF in it. The electricians had to split up the fixtures in to two circuits just in case someone wanted to put 100w lamps in them (that’s what they are rated for). I told them I was putting CF's in them and they said it wouldn't be bright enough. After I did it everyone was amazed how even the room was lit and how bright it seemed, so it worked out for the best. |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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ANdad
New Member
Posts:91
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| 07 Nov 2008 10:31 AM |
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"While using less electricity is green, disposal of the CFBs available to most people is not green. How long will it be before mercury shows up in the drinking water?"
Home Depot now accepts CF bulbs for recycling nationwide. I brought a big box of them there and they were happy to accept them for appropriate disposal.
Again - Using CF bulbs helps limit mercury emissions from coal plants - just dispose of them properly and there will be less mercury. Please see below link on CF recycling:
http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/stage/pdf/cfl_recycle.pdf |
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 07 Nov 2008 10:55 AM |
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In the state of Wisconsin (I thought it was everywhere) if a retailer sells CF's they have to accept them for recycling. So just about every home depot or similar stores take them.
I agree though, that if people are just tossing them (I hope they aren't) it could cause a mess. At the same time I know they line landfills here with something that is supposed to stop leaching from whatever is tossed in there. I believe they even pump out from under them. |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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bertus
New Member
Posts:8
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| 08 Nov 2008 12:32 PM |
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I would suggest LED lighting. No flicker no mercury and they are rated at 50,000 hours which means they should be 70% as bright at that time. The energy use should be less than CFLs, the light is directed and controlled by lenses. They are much more expensive on initial purchase but they pay back the difference saving on energy and maintenance. LEDHomePlace |
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| LEDHomePlace<br>We provide a complete spectrum of energy and money saving LED products.<br> |
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Austin Realtor
New Member
Posts:3
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| 08 Nov 2008 11:54 PM |
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I was thinking about switching to LED lights, but look at the price! I think I'll wait for the volume produced to go up, them to get more adoption, and then the price to come down. I got this catalog the other day and was shocked. You can see the online version here. Joe Austin Real Estate | Austin Texas Real Estate |
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bertus
New Member
Posts:8
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| 09 Nov 2008 03:19 AM |
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Yes, I agree the prices are high and they are likely coming down, though it seems for now not that quickly. Most likely the Lumens per Watt would be increasing also. So why buy now? I think it's a bit relative to the consumer and most are strapped for money. However, I also think people look at the price of a bulb and they don.t factor in the fact that one LED bulb represents 25 incandescent bulbs and they have trouble accounting for that maintenance cost which is quite substantial. So the LEDs are not as expensive as it may appear. Now factor in the energy savings and it's a good investment. Also, if we are going to be green we should take any chance to enable the technologies that can save energy. LEDHomePlace |
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| LEDHomePlace<br>We provide a complete spectrum of energy and money saving LED products.<br> |
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canadiyank
New Member
Posts:9
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| 10 Nov 2008 03:09 AM |
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LED seems great but yah, I'm going to have to wait a bit. I'd love to invest in the technology, and I remember paying $15 when the CFL's first came out, but $70 per bulb is just a ton of $.... |
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| Meghan<br>check out my green-building blog: dreaminggreen.wordpress.com |
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canadiyank
New Member
Posts:9
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| 10 Nov 2008 03:10 AM |
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Oh, I meant to mention that I have a box of CFL's ready to go to Home Depot, too. Yay for their recycling program! |
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| Meghan<br>check out my green-building blog: dreaminggreen.wordpress.com |
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