Compact fluorescents, head to head
May 21st, 2007 by Eric
I stood outside a few nights ago, engaged in a conversation with a fellow progressive about a number of issues, and eventually it turned to the environment and, more specifically, the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). While seeing eye-to-eye up to this point, we parted ways here. She didn’t like the light that they gave out, the fact that they contain a small amount of mercury, or the initial cost of the bulb.
When I got home and did a little reading on this thing they call “the Internet,” I realized that she was probably basing her opinion on the early technology, the first CFLs. As recently as the mid-1990s a single bulb was going for 25 smackers, producing a yellowier light than incandescents, and were even too large to fit many fixtures. Not so, anymore.
As if to slam-dunk my point, alioop-style, this month’s Popular Mechanics landed in my mailbox the next day. On the cover was a comparison of the most popular CFLs to one another and to the most popular incandescents. Across the board they found that CFLs were just as bright and in many cases used less energy than was originally stated. In fact, the only thing I found to be slightly misleading was the reported price of the CFLs. In my experience they can easily be found for far less, especially when bought in a multi-pack. You can get the full comparison here.
As for the mercury contained in the bulb, well, yes, there is some, about 5 milligrams per bulb. Most manufacturers now have CFL recycling programs, as well as plans to decrease the amount mercury in the bulbs. Plus, according to the California Energy Commission, the amount of mercury contained in a bulb is more than offset by the amount of mercury saved by reducing the use of energy from coal plants.
I respect the opinions of others. I pride myself on keeping my mind open to the possibility that what I think I know might not be the whole story, that there might be angles I haven’t considered. And if someone presents that opposition, I’ll research the hell out of it to get the whole story.
So, to the best of ability, there it is, the whole story of compact fluorescent light bulbs.
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