Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Answers

More and more people are using CFL's rather than Incandescent bulbs. With this, come questions concerning the CFL's effectiveness in replacing the incandescent bulb's many uses.

Today, most CFLs match the light output and use versatility of incandescent bulbs. Be sure to look for the following product information to help you find the right bulb for your needs:

• Kelvins (Whiteness): CFLs are now sold in many shades of white. The warmth of the light or color temperature, is measured in Kelvins (K). The lower the "K", the warmer the color. These range from a “warm” yellow-white (around 2700 K) to a “cool” blue-white (around 5000 K). If the color temperature is not listed, look for “warm white”, “cool white” or “daylight” on the packaging.
  
  
• Lumens (Brightness): Lumens are a standardized measure of light output. Both a 60-watt incandescent bulb and a 15-watt CFL produce about 800 lumens. Look for lumens on the CFL's product label to find what will match or exceed the brightness of the incandescent bulb(s) you're replacing. If the CFL package does not disclose the equivalent incandescent wattage, the Energy Star website lists the lumens produced by common incandescent wattages.
  
  
• Compatibility: CFLs are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, for both standard and smaller (candelabra) sockets. There are CFLs specifically designed to accommodate three-way, dimmable, motion-sensor, flood lights and other outdoor fixtures. For safety and efficiency reasons, be sure to only use the type of CFL designed for these special purposes.



• Durability: To ensure you get the most energy savings and longest life of your CFLs, begin bulb replacement in the areas of your home or office where lights stay on for the longest periods of time. Although CFLs can last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs, frequent on/off use can shorten their life.



• Disposal: Like their fluorescent forefathers, CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, so they cannot simply be thrown out in the trash. However, the mercury in CFLs represents a much less significant overall environmental hazard than incandescent bulbs.
  
  The impact lies in the use of electricity by each bulb. CFLs require much less electricity to provide the same light. Since more than half of our nation’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants (the largest U.S. source of mercury emissions), continued use of incandescent bulbs inflicts much more mercury into the environment than CFLs.
  
  How much? According to UCS research, a CFL running six hours per day for five years would cause the average coal-fired power plant to emit 3.2 milligrams of mercury. An incandescent bulb running the same amount of time causes the emission of almost 15 milligrams of mercury. The 11.8 milligram difference is more than double the approximate 5 milligrams present inside a CFL.
  
  Ultimately, proper disposal of CFLs further ensures that mercury remains contained rather than ending up in the environment. Like batteries and other household hazardous waste, municipal disposal services provide for drop-off (and more frequently now, pick-up) of these items where they can be disposed of properly. This diverts tons of heavy metal and other toxic waste from our landfills and water supplies.



• Future Legislation: The 2007 energy bill requires light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy-efficient beginning 2012. This will effectively phase out traditional incandescent bulbs. While more types of improved lighting alternatives are on the horizon (such as LEDs, etc.), today’s CFLs already use 50 to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, If every U.S. household replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, we would reduce global warming pollution equivalent to the amount of taking more than 800,000 cars off the road.

Learn more about CFLs (Click here). Don't want the full story; just have a simple question? (Click here).


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