Comments on: Save money by switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs

By: Max

Max — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:31:45 +0000

i think you should have how much money saved in a year by using a florescent bulb

By: Learn How To Recycle Your CFLs | Spending Less 101

Learn How To Recycle Your CFLs | Spending Less 101 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:17:59 +0000

[...] while back, I wrote a post about using CFLs to reduce energy consumption in the home. Several of the comments mentioned that improper disposal of these bulbs can be a [...]

By: A Month of Savings - 07/04/2008 | Spending Less 101

A Month of Savings - 07/04/2008 | Spending Less 101 — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:11:22 +0000

[...] made a post a while back about switching from regular light bulbs to CFLs. This is something that we should all do. I finally got all of my bulbs switched over to CFLs. The [...]

By: Kristina Richardson

Kristina Richardson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:51:31 +0000

Most CFLs today on the market contain less than 5mgs of mercury and there are CFL options out there that contain as little as 1.5mgs of mercury- which can hardly be called a “significant amounts of mercury” considering that many item in your home contain 100s of times more of mercury including your computer. Mercury levels in CFLs can never be “nonexistent” since mercury is a necessary component of a CFL and there is no other known element that is capable of replacing it. But CFLs actually prevent more mercury from entering the environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, “a coal-fired power plant will emit about four times more mercury to keep an incandescent bulb glowing, compared with a CFL of the same light output”.

By: AL

AL — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:55:39 +0000

I heard from a friend that it takes more energy to make a CFL than you save using it. I have not been able to verify this. Anyone have any comments?

By: Get some green by growing some… | Spending Less 101

Get some green by growing some… | Spending Less 101 — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:12:21 +0000

[...] order to survive.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:32:15 +0000

As someone who sells light bulbs for a living, I am less enthusiastic than most about compact fluorescent bulbs. This is due to the fact that the ones currently available contain significant amounts of mercury. If one of these bulbs should break inside of a person’s home, it could cause a challenging disposal situation. It is my belief that the technology should progress to a point at which the mercury levels are low or nonexistent before people changeover their entire homes. Another consideration is that as these bulbs burn out, they will most likely be thrown away as though they are normal rubbish and landfills will have incredibly high levels of mercury in their soil as a result.

By: John Simpson

John Simpson — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:17:11 +0000

I completed the replacement of the remaining incandescent bulbs.

By: John

John — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:55:08 +0000

I almost forgot that you have to dispose of these bulbs in a certain manner in order to prevent the Mercury inside them from contaminating anything. Here is the information:

Energystar.gov has instructions on what you should do if a CFL bulb breaks.

1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

2. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Use disposable rubber gloves, if available (i.e., do not use bare hands). Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag. Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal. Note: some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center. Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

4. If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet: First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

[Via Energystar.gov]