Environmentally Conscious? (CFL Thread)
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From: Pennsylvania
Vehicle: 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
We use these in almost every light in the house even found a short one to use in the stove hood.
The best part is that 4 of them take about as much power as one regular bulb does and they can be alot brighter.
They are a little expensive but they last a long time so a 1.34 is an awesome price.
I wouldn't mind at all if regular light bulbs were replaced completely.
Mine flicker once and come on full in about a second if they do it at all.
The best part is that 4 of them take about as much power as one regular bulb does and they can be alot brighter.
They are a little expensive but they last a long time so a 1.34 is an awesome price.
I wouldn't mind at all if regular light bulbs were replaced completely.
QUOTE
I really would not want one of these in the fridge, takes to long to light up. everywhere else cant really tell the difference.
Mine flicker once and come on full in about a second if they do it at all.
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From: Tampa/St Petersburg
Vehicle: Turbocharged 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
/\ Most CFL's are flickerless now, my mom bought some CFL's about 2 years ago and they flickered, mine dont flicker one bit.
As far as the LED light bulbs for the cold, its a good point, but they just havent figured out how to make real bright LED's lightbulbs cheaply. Fridge would work with a 15w replacement LED bulb but if you need a 75-150 watt replacement porch light and it gets cold there your most likely going to stick to incandescent or if its cheap enough, a cold tolerant CFL.
If you want a LED lightbulb with 75+ watts of power it'll take in between $70-100 per bulb. At that price its way better to buy CFL's (for now)
LED's will eventually be the hot item, but not anytime soon, but when they do it'll take 2-3 watts to light a room.
Where i live, porch light is just fine as a CFL because 60 degrees is about as low as it goes.
As far as the LED light bulbs for the cold, its a good point, but they just havent figured out how to make real bright LED's lightbulbs cheaply. Fridge would work with a 15w replacement LED bulb but if you need a 75-150 watt replacement porch light and it gets cold there your most likely going to stick to incandescent or if its cheap enough, a cold tolerant CFL.
If you want a LED lightbulb with 75+ watts of power it'll take in between $70-100 per bulb. At that price its way better to buy CFL's (for now)
LED's will eventually be the hot item, but not anytime soon, but when they do it'll take 2-3 watts to light a room.
Where i live, porch light is just fine as a CFL because 60 degrees is about as low as it goes.
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From: Tampa/St Petersburg
Vehicle: Turbocharged 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
Well, its been over a month so i figured i'd report the power savings i saw.
Between being conscious with power usage and the CFLs, my electric bill went from $70 to $40.
not bad for a 20 dollar investment.
Between being conscious with power usage and the CFLs, my electric bill went from $70 to $40.
not bad for a 20 dollar investment.
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From: wamego, kansas
Vehicle: 2001 hyundai tiburon
Alex,
just a note:
when you have one of these actually go out it is best that you take them to a industrial waste dropoff facility so they can be properly disposed of because of the mercury.
ive been running CFL's for at least a year. now my rent is all utilities paid but my landlord comments on how much cheaper my electric bill is compared to the other 5 apartments in my multiplex. i tell him it's the CFL's but he just doesn't believe it.
just a note:
when you have one of these actually go out it is best that you take them to a industrial waste dropoff facility so they can be properly disposed of because of the mercury.
ive been running CFL's for at least a year. now my rent is all utilities paid but my landlord comments on how much cheaper my electric bill is compared to the other 5 apartments in my multiplex. i tell him it's the CFL's but he just doesn't believe it.
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From: wamego, kansas
Vehicle: 2001 hyundai tiburon
sure do bud, it's cause of the mercury. it's the nastiest thing known to man that isn't regulated like nuclear stuff. there was just coverage on CFL's on CNN friday and that was said on the topic.
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From: ɯooɹpǝq ɹnoʎ
Vehicle: ǝdnoɔ sısǝuǝƃ
That's a good savings Alex, but being the anal accountant I am, you have to make sure all other factors are held constant. Due to temperature changes between January and February, it could be cheaper to heat your house in the month of comparison. My electric bill went from $140 to $120. You're in Florida now, so the weather may be more steady than Tennessee (snow and 70Ă‚Âş in the same week).
I wanted to post what I've found on other sites. CFLs obviously save electricity and power, but there's a lot of controversy on whether or not it's best for the environment. California was considering making it a requirement to use only CFLs in home lighting... requiring everybody to replace existing bulbs. Think about the tens of millions of people in California - what percentage do you think would just throw the bulbs away, broken or not, instead of properly disposing of them? Right now it's the environmentally geared people who are buying them, so hopefully they'll keep the environment in mind when disposing. Unfortunately, not many people do as much research as you and I do Alex, so I would guess that a huge majority of those using CFLs have no clue where to take the light bulbs.
Recommended Cleanup??
That's quite a lot of work for a light bulb...
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/03/19/gree...-first-thought/
I wanted to post what I've found on other sites. CFLs obviously save electricity and power, but there's a lot of controversy on whether or not it's best for the environment. California was considering making it a requirement to use only CFLs in home lighting... requiring everybody to replace existing bulbs. Think about the tens of millions of people in California - what percentage do you think would just throw the bulbs away, broken or not, instead of properly disposing of them? Right now it's the environmentally geared people who are buying them, so hopefully they'll keep the environment in mind when disposing. Unfortunately, not many people do as much research as you and I do Alex, so I would guess that a huge majority of those using CFLs have no clue where to take the light bulbs.
QUOTE
Even a single CFL could provide toxic levels of exposure for mercury. One contains five milligrams of mercury, which would be enough to contaminate 6,000 gallons of drinking water. Low-mercury models have about one-sixth of the amount, but that’s still enough to contaminate 1,000 gallons. It makes the CFL one of the most toxic components of a household, one that causes kidney and brain damage when people get exposed to enough of it.
QUOTE
And guess what — I can’t even throw these in the garbage, broken or unbroken. As MS-NBC reports, Minnesota requires that I take any CFLs to a disposal center certified to handle them. I didn’t know that until tonight, and I have no idea where such a center might be. It does make sense, though, considering the disposal issues involving mercury.
QUOTE
Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs’ poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought. …
Recommended Cleanup??
QUOTE
1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
3. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
6. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
7. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
8. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing cleanup materials.
9. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a recycling center.
10. For at least the next few times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
11. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
2. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
3. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
6. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
7. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
8. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing cleanup materials.
9. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a recycling center.
10. For at least the next few times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
11. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
That's quite a lot of work for a light bulb...
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/03/19/gree...-first-thought/