ten things i didn't know about compact fluorescent lightbulbs until last week

[This special issue of ten things i didn't know until last week is a part of a web-wide series of blog posts to encourage everyone in the world to change from the energy-guzzling incandescent bulb to cost and pollution-saving compact fluorescent light-bulbs (CFLs.)]

1. CFLs use only a quarter of power to create light comparable to an equivalent incandescent bulb.
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2. CFLs are typically guaranteed to work for 8,000 hours as against the typical incandescent bulb which lasts between 500 and 2000 hours depending on electric voltage and mechanical shock.
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3. Early CFLs used magnetic ballast, which used to cause flickering and slow starting. Recent advances in technology now replace the magnetic ballast with electronic ballast, eradicating these problems in current CFLs.
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4. CFLs usually do not fail suddenly like incandescent light-bulbs do. Symptoms of impending CFL failure may come months ahead of the moment they actually fail.
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5. CFL light output is roughly proportional to phosphor surface area, and high output CFL bulbs are often larger than their incandescent equivalents.
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6. The retail price of a CFL includes an amount to pay for recycling, and manufacturers and importers have an obligation to collect and recycle CFL lamps.
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7. In September 2006, Wal-Mart started a campaign to endorse CFLs. The store aims to sell one CFL to every one of their 100 million customers within the next year and thus change the energy consumption of the United States.
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8. A typical incandescent bulb heats up to the filament to about 2,300 degrees Celsius while CFLs operate at 300 degrees. That's significant because heat represents wasted energy.
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9. Early CFLs cost $25 per bulb and still paid for themselves in electricity savings! Now, they typically cost only 1/10th of that price.
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10. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, every household in America swapping one 60 watt incandescent bulb with a CFL is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.
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UPDATES:
Additional reading, this time about the hazards of CFLs : Low-energy bulb disposal warning.

UPDATE  - May 31, 2009: This Scientific American article (access needs subscription) reports on the usage of mercury in CFLs and the disposal problems it gives rise to.

digg this : The Complete 'ten things i didn't know until last week'

Comments

[Varun Reddy]

Great Post! Nice to know so many useful things about CFLs - Beleive it or not, it was just yesterday night that I was thinking about searching for the effects of CFLs and viola, today I stumble upon this page, though I am a regular reader of your "Ten Things I did not know....) blog... Shifted loyalties fromThe Economist to Wikipedia??? Good....

[blaiq]

Thanks, Varun. You probably didn't get to read the post because I didn't mail a quiz pointing back to it - there was no point with a specialised topic like that.

No, I haven't shifted loyalties yet. Wikipedia is my default 'More details' link for all the miscellaneous stuff I discover. The Economist continues to rule, despite their questionable coverage of the Iraq war.

[Martin Hanan]

I purchased my first two CFL's today. they are 14W Sylvania Soft White mini 60

I did not find it as bright as the 60W bulb it replaced. As most of my fixtures say "use no higher than 60W" I hope that you will answer my question.

Can I put a "mini 100" (I hope that means 100W equivalent)CFL in the closed fixture because the CFL is much cooler then a regular bulb?

[blaiq]

I would think so, Martin. But I would still urge you to doublecheck with an electrician or an expert - preferably one who is both :) Unfortunately, I am neither.

[Jason Petty]

Great post on CFL's and the advantages moving towards them.

I think I got the answer to your question concerning the CFL's - your fixtures are calling for no more than a 60watt bulb but with a CFL you are using much less wattage and more importantly producing less heat. If this is a standard shape bulb I would try this:

http://www.soslightbulbs.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=143787&cat=1699&page=1

or if this is a spiral shape, take a look at something similar to this:

http://www.soslightbulbs.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=131147&cat=1038&page=2

I hope this helps.

www.SOSLightBulbs.com

[the paris apartment]

Hi, I just stumbled onto your site through treehugger.
We're living parallel lives! For the past few days, I've been delving into the CFL myths.
I hope you'll check out a blog I started yesterday, I'm fascinated with this topic and have had the opposite experience you've described here.

http://stoppingatthegreenlight.wordpress.com/
http://parisapartment.wordpress.com