Commentary

I’m not sure what has held me back personally - probably lack of awareness. What’s the price comparison?

I think a buyers guide would be helpful.
Here’s a guide/comparison of some CFL’s vs. an incandescent from Popular Mechanics.

http://tinyurl.com/23f4xk [ URL shortened by ed.]

Hope this helps a bit!
Now if they can also do the same thing for LED’s!

I think a buyers guide would be helpful.

Seconded that :-)

BTW. I don’t think your trackbacks are working… .

If you look at CFL bulbs on the botton where the male connector is it says HG in a circle which means it contains mercury which is harder to dispose of than normal light bulbs and more damaging to the environment

Actually, LED lights are even better and will be available / are already available:

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/siemens-1000-lumen-led

My problem with the bulbs is that they produce an unpleasing color temperature. Its destroys your ability to get good detail in photographs and makes everything appear darker than it really is.

A mandatory residential version of this device would really solve our problems:
http://hackedgadgets.com/2006/10/14/hybrid-solar-lighting/

Very few if any lights would be needed during daylight hours and it can improve your health by provding full spectrum and natural light.

Home Depot is having some deal today (sunday) where they will give you one free CFL. We ended up getting a bunch of the N:Vision CFL’s and they really are just as bright as the incandescent.

I recommend the Soft Light CFL’s from N:Vision (the green packaging) The other options are Bright Light (red packaging) and Day Light (blue packaging). The red and blue ones are bright but they have that normal florescent light color. Not soo nice.

Also about the recycling of the bulbs, it’s still a pain in the butt, but here’s some links to help:
http://lamprecycle.org/
http://www.earth911.org/

“Home Depot is having some deal today (sunday) where they will give you one free CFL. We ended up getting a bunch of the N:Vision CFL’s and they really are just as bright as the incandescent.”

Thanks for the tip TofuRobot!

During one of my graduate engineering courses, I performed a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of CFL’s versus incandescent bulbs, from “cradle to grave,” for the product.  Even without any reference to global warming, the economic analysis weighs heavily in favor of CFLs.  They do cost more, but they last much longer.  For me, one big benefit of CFLs is that I don’t have to buy and replace bulbs very often.

Thanks Euclid.  Do you still have any of the numbers from your LCA?

CFL’s are great we use them throughout our home.

We’ve switched exclusively to CFLs and honestly, in terms of lighting, I don’t feel a difference, but they last forever, and reduce our energy use AND COST.  I suppose they’re slightly harder to dispose of, but considering how long they last, that’s not something I have to worry about for a long time.

Josh, You say they are slightly harder to dispose of....How are you suppose to dispose of them?

Thanks!

Kelli, Earth911.org has a lookup tool that will show you were you can dispose of the bulbs in your zip code.  I think you’ll find that there are a fair number of choices.

Here is the link that goes straight to CFL recycling.

http://www.earth911.org/master.asp?s=ls&cat=1&serviceid=333&type;=-1

-Jay

I went out and bought a bunch a couple of weeks ago.  You can get three for 7.50 at WalMart.  Unfortunately the plastic package is not recyclable.  The other problem was I dropped and broke one while installing it.  There are no instructions as to what to do if this happens…

Euclid - Do you have any of your LCA information available that you could post for those interested in your digging further into you findings?

I found lots of useful information on CFLs including what to do if one breaks, how to dispose of them, and the difference between color temperatures at http://www.nvisioncfl.com

You may want to check it out, it answered most of my questions!

You can also improve on daylight light usage by investing in a sunpipe. My house is being built with one in each room, they are not that expensive and you have free bright life for life. It even amplifies the ambient light at night, enough for me to go to the bathroom without the need to use electrity on a half moon night.
http://www.sunpipe.co.uk/sunpipe/domestic/index.php
The same company also make wind draught, which catches the outside air and directs it in to reduce the requirement for airconditioning inside. I’m saving for that right now.

Euclid - did you publish your LCA of CFL?  I can’t find an LCA of CFL or incandescent bulbs anywhere, searching articles databases.  If you’ve done one, you should publish it!
:)

In my line of business, people are most concerned with the most cost savings.  It appears that the CFL is a great cost savings over traditional bulbs and I’ll be in line to get mine.  The environmental benefit is a great bonus.

The CFLs do not last 5 years as stated here in this story. I know this from experience using them in our high school. They are trash and the school didn’t save any energy or money by using them. Don’t use them as they are dangerous if you drop them. The CFLs stink for sure.

Thanks for your relatively useless anecdote, Thomas. I’ve had the exact opposite experience in my property management so I guess we cancel each other out.

Maybe if you didn’t buy dollar-store CFLs it’d work a bit better for you.