Incandescent Vs. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

[BeyondLame]

Mercury is one of the most toxic elements on earth.

And our government is forcing the American people to purchase bulbs with them inside. Wonderful.

[patricknedz]

until you break one and get mercury everywhere

[tculhane]

@patricknedz you are exaggerating the threat of mercury in CFLs, I'm afraid. A CFL bulb contains about 4 mg and the emissions from a coal plant to power it about 2.4 mg of Hg. That equals 6.4 mg. When you use an incandescent light bulb the coal plant releases 10 mg of mercury, so using CFL is a net savings of 3.6 mg, about the equivalent of a bulb. But I can power my CFLs from solar energy because they are efficient, so now I'm down to 4 mg. And If it breaks the Hg doesn't go "everywhere"

[tculhane]

@patricknedz Also, the mercury wouldn't go "everywhere" if you break one as you seem to fear. Some is a vapor and would go out the windows but is still 1/2 to 1/3 of what goes in the atmosphere from coal plants powering incandescents. some residue would stay with the glass and can be disposed of properly. Anyway, this video is over a decade old and we have now moved on to LEDs. CFLs are a good transition technology.

[patricknedz]

@tculhane I like the LED but it was like $16 a bulb, I know that it says the CFL can have the same color as the incandescents it doesnt really look exactly the same and the color is a bit off. and the CFL doesnt really work well in the dimmer switches even the ones that are made for it tend to flicker at lower levels. not sure about the LED never tried it. 

[nathanrs10]

Instead of using a little more electricity we will be polluting the landfills with mercury.

Ban Fluorescent and Incandescent.

LED bulbs use 1 to 5 watts and last forever. They also don't have any toxic material in them.

[TrishaDishaWarEagle]

I enjoy breaking cfl's after they burn out(yep they do quite often , due to cheap chinese balasts)..It's my little way to say F You to the left to deposit a little mercury dust around..I, of course, wear a respirator :)

[konkout2009]

YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW WORTHLESS THESE ARE!!!!!  WHEN THERE BROKEN THEY GIVE OFF THE VERY TOXIC MERCURY VAPORS. THEY CAN CAUSE HARM TO INFANTS AS WELL AS PREGNANT WOMEN OR ANYTHING LIVING. WHEN THEY RECYCLE THEM IT TAKES A LOTT OF ENERGY TO DO IT AS WELL AS DISPOSING THESE HARMFUL VAPORS THAT WILL AFFECT THE WORLD. DONT BUY THESE THINGS AS GE IS MAKING IT SOUND SO GOOD!!!!!! ITS POISON!!!! IT IS NOT GREEN AT ALL!!!! IT IS SHIT SHIT SHIT!!!!!! DONT BUY

[razornet1]

I am slowly replacing all of my florescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs. They are even more efficient than florescents and have absolutely no disadvantage towards those incondescent light bulbs if you choose the right ones. They also last about 4 times longer than CFLs. However, they are not for sale in a lot of countries and for me it will take a while before my old CFLs actually break (started with LEDs about 2 years ago).

[bliesberg]

I only buy 300 watt clear bulbs, and Haven't replaced any of them in about 6 years. I can't stand the "artificial" looking light that comes off fluorecent bulbs and they normally give me a headache and cost well over the top. Not to mention hazardous chemicals. And how "efficient" is it if it only gives off as mush light as a 25 watt lightbulb?

[True2TheBlueYoViGang]

lol why do ppl hate normal lights? the cfl's are whiter and make everything look newer nicer and its easier for u to see urself in the mirror if u have one on... i dnt get it lol... i love these things theyre just so darn expensive so unfair the cheap shit ends up spending u more moeny down the road than the expensive shit wtf...isn't that some shit? lol

[noreaga12326]

@True2TheBlueYoViGang why do most people hate normal lights?? I know you're not referring to CFLs being "NORMAL LIGHT". if so, i'l tell u the reasons why people hate them. They give off an ugly gloomy light, they're potentially toxic and they really dont save u much money, especially since your electric company always raises its prices on electricity. Plus they dont last as long as you're told. However incandescents give off warmer more natural light and they're not toxic.

[True2TheBlueYoViGang]

@noreaga12326 i was refering to the other lights. As for the CFL's man I think they rock I do end up saving money and i lvoe saving a bit if i can but other than for economical reasons i love them becuase i think the lighting is great for pics or maybe even videos but i dnt record much... when i take pics around CFL's it looks better cuz instead of looking sort of orange/yellowish i come out more clearer looking thats anthr reason i like CFL's. :) &ur right they dnt last as long as posted

[noreaga12326]

@True2TheBlueYoViGang I respect that. if u like cfls, then enjoy them.

[True2TheBlueYoViGang]

@noreaga12326 one thing i did get out of this tho is they provied heat (inflorcent or w/e lol) over cfls... but i live in fl we've got enough heat alrdy :L lol thanks for the reply

[poikaa3]

Along with the mercury is the poison called phosphorus. And the electromagnetic radiation of CFLs is not best either. Also the energy to power these CFLs is transformed into high frequency radio waves to energize the mercury molecules to cause the electrons to do a higher orbit around the core of the mercury atoms, it reverts to the original orbit giving off energy in the form of ultra violet energy that hits the phosphorous powder making white light as it glows. Sun Burn!

[simpsonstewie]

I broke a cfl the other day. Thank god it wasn't at my house. Poor mexicans gonna get cancer now oh well

[MALI1185]

Here's my simple explanation for incandescents and CFLs:

Incandescent=warm flattering light, dimmability, high energy usage, very high heat output.

CFL=Drab clinical light, no dimmability (unless dimmable version is used), low energy usage, low-to-medium heat output, harsh on the eyes when looked directly at, hard to dispose of. 

I have no preference for any kind of bulb. Each one has good and bad characteristics.

[DZEyoyo123]

@MALI1185 You're better off sticking with incandescent bulbs. CFL's contain mercury, if it breaks you will breathe in toxic mercury vapor, which can cause serious health problems. Plus, CFL's interfere with wireless devices. It's not worth it.

[noreaga12326]

Although they say that the incandescent flood is very inefficient, the flood versions is one out of several other incandescents that will NOT be banned after 2014. Besides the flood versions, also exempt from the ban are rough service lighting, appliance versions, colored bulbs, 3 way bulbs, anything under 40 watts and over 100watts.

[stupittmoran]

AND IF YOU BREAK A CLF YOU HAVE TO CALL THE HAS-MAT TEAM! IDIOTS!

[ToddAlex127]

Or... you could just buy LED bulbs. They cost a tad more, but last around 100,000 hours, use even less power than CFLs, and are just as bright.

CFLs are a poor technology, being more dangerous than incandescent, and even harder to clean up if you break one. The so called "environmental" goodness of them is really minimal in the long run, as lights are far from the worst energy hogs of a house.

[MALI1185]

@ToddAlex127 a TAD more? How is $19.97 for ONE LEd bulb, vs. $5.85 for FOUR cfls, a tad?

[oooorb1]

i will buy incandescent light bulb no matter what the government says they cannot tell me what light bulbs i can buy or not.

[noreaga12326]

@oooorb1 i have enough incandescents stocked up to last me a life time and even to put in my will.

[stevenabb]

I am not putting a 4~5 mg glass container of mercury in my child's bedroom. Children will be children and break these things. So... having a mercury spill in my kids bedroom is better than CO2... What if the kids don't tell me for two weeks they broke the CFB bulb? What if kids cut themselves on the glass shards? Phosporus, Mercury, Argon. Even the EPA has some exotic Hazmat instructions for the cleanup... NO WAY!!! Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and it's especially dangerous for children.

[3152222]

my friend brakes cfls to tell me they are not poisines even though they are

[noreaga12326]

@3152222 i wish i can take all those CFLs and break every single one of them. they're enviornmentally GARBAGE

[3152222]

my friend brakes cfls to tell me they are not poisines

[BowToMySkill]

why would you want to breath mercury gas

[southport97]

CFLs suck. You're an idiot if buy into the arguments surrounding the benefits for them. Who cares if they save energy? Who cares if they last longer. THEY WILL NEVER PROVIDE THE SOFT LIGHT THAT INCANDESCENT BULBS OFFER.

[masterd151]

mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercurymercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury mercury

[qbsean10]

Every office building and retail store in the industrialized world is lit by standard fluorescent lights. All fluorescents contain mercury, but CFLs contain significantly less than the massive fluorescent tubes that line the ceilings of every retail outlet and grocery store in America. Mercury in fluorescents is not a new problem. We have been recycling and handling fluorescent lamps for 70 years now, why is it all of a sudden such a major issue?

[noreaga12326]

@qbsean10 if u like to use CFLs, that is your business. nobody should have to FORCE anyone to light their homes with cfls which is what the government is doing. after the ban period, most ppl such as me will have stocked up on enough incandecents to put in our wil. i'm not too sure about the mercury part but i do know that CFLs give off shit light. I will stick with my incandecents forever

[Seiku]

The new bulbs are fine but I've been noticing they burn out more frequently. Already did 2-3 replacements in the kitchen. :\

[salemcripple]

You know i changed my bulbs to these cfls at the beginning of the month to try to save some money. You know how much i saved? 7 dollars, SEVEN fucking dollars! All the money I spent replacing the bulbs, plus the fact that you can't just turn the lights on a look for something real quick. The light when they are first turned on is so dim, you can't see shit, and have to wait for like five minutes to see anything. Should have stuck with the incandescents, The seven dollars a month isn't worth it.

[gcrebel2008]

I was in Walmart yesterday and noticed that a four pack of regular incandescent bulbs cost $1.50 whereas a three pack of swirl fluorescents cost $7.50. SEVEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS FOR THREE BULBS?!?!?! What are you actually saving as far as energy costs when the "energy efficient" bulbs cost 4 times as much as the regular bulbs? You think you're saving the planet? THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT! I think I'm gonna stock up on incandescent bulbs and keep using them.

[qbsean10]

@gcrebel2008 CFLs burn at a quarter of the wattage and last up to 10 times longer. Yes, you're paying more in initial costs, but simple math shows that a four times more efficient bulb with a 10 times longer lifespan will earn back that extra $2 extra per bulb start up cost in no time. Is it really that hard to figure out?

[gcrebel2008]

@qbsean10 Well all the CFLs that I've had, have never lasted as long as the incandescents.

[trek1200233]

Invest in LED light bulbs verry expensive but lasts 10 times longer than CFL and use 5 times less power. But did you ever caculate your home light cost vs other electric usage? Your electric light usage could maybe 1/10 the whole home power usage. Whats Nancy Pelosi and Al Gores home carbon foot print ? I think Al Gore electric monthly usage is about $1,200 . How many CFL lights does he have ?

[chicointioga]

People do not understand, the CFL is the worst thing to our econmy and environment that could ever happen!!! They are made in China and 90% of the workers have been hospitalized or killed by Mercury poisening!!! Get real you bunch of sell-outs!!!

[qbsean10]

@chicointioga The worst thing ever, huh? The factories you are referring to with high rates of poisoning (high being 30%, not 90% like you think) are sweat-shop type factories will poor safety and health controls. Any factory setting is hazardous if guidelines are followed. The CFL itself is a fine product and is the way of the future.

[JustJane]

Incandescents are better and will continue to be available. Incandescents can be made to last very long merely by lowering the voltage slightly.

[stickedU]

Typical Republicans, they need instructions on how to be careful changing a lightbulb. If you cannot handle putting in a cfl, maybe you should stick to using only the dirty old bulb. Stay in the dark ages fools. We will enjoy lower energy bills ha.

[asianrapper209]

man i hate the cfl bulb! i tried it on my desk lamp and after one day of use it died. any answers to this? it was working fine the first day, but towards teh second day i turn my lamp on and all i get is a flicker :\

[stickedU]

CFL= BEST BULB EVER , very simple. For those who hoard the old dirty bulb, thankfully they burn out fast so you will tear through your silly collections very quickly in the course of five years.

[noreaga12326]

What many ppl here dont realize, is that the world is not gona use just CFLs or LEDs. They just stated that bulbs have to be more energy efficient by 2014. the comment that "hansonsux" made is true. Rite now they're in the process of making energy efficient incandecent light bulbs, giving off the same exact light we're all used to seeing. If successful (I'm sure they will be) the CFLs will be kicked to the curb.

[825900]

Cfl's can give a good light, and slightly more efficient than incandescent.

However the bad news is that they take 9 times more energy to make, they give off uv and rf radiation, contain toxic chemicals and a nightmare to dispose of. Also should one shatter in use, mercury vapour will be released into room.Burning coal does not produce mercury, as some anti incand people say. Days of CFL are over.Lets go back to the carbon arc lamp?

[FelixAtrox]

Try heating a house with a cold cathode...

[spudaso]

as opposed to a standard incadescant light bulb,how much energy is used producing all the components in a cfl? how much pollution is generated producing the components in a cfl? just curious, seems to good to be true

[wileycoyote2010]

Target sells GE REVEAL flourescent light bulbs... I was amazed at how great they are. It looks like I can give in and buy flourescent bulbs now. I tested them out and they are awesome.

[LightningT5]

Give me that 75 Watt Incandescent Bulb anyday out of the two, the poor light quality IS noticable uless you have a decent shade, the CFL Reflectors are not bad, but I think in the Living Room and Study Incandescents are staying, and I agree with mariussicone, fuck that crappy light colour, I think we have enouth Normal bulbs for now

[mariussicone]

i am starting to make supplies for later when normal lightbulbs are no longer available,fuck the CFL and fuck that stupid light colour

[aloe683]

Hopefully the bulbs will be on Home Depot and Wal Mart shelves soon.

[nay1978miles]

You are a fucktard...do your research. People like you make me wonder how your type get through life without dying from licking windows and chewing on your own tongue.....

[fhood]

Glad to find someone who feels like I do about those flourescent bulbs. I was in a friend's house who has those bulbs in their lamps -- the lighting in the living room was so dim and terrible. They lamps reminded of me of the kind of light given off by a street light. GE Reveal bulbs are the best and will always be the best!

[hermancando]

scary shit man th murcury

[killerfurball]

Yeah 5 mg, let me call the doctor to tell me that amount isn't lethal. Not to mention the burning of coal releases mercury into the atmosphere meaning an incandescent releases more mercury then a CFL ever dreamed of over its lifetime. And coal accounts for almost 50% of US energy production. Of which 34% is used for applications and lighting. If you really hated mercury you wouldn't be using an incandescent.

[abramrk1]

How much are paying for those cfl bulbs,my old lite cost me 25c each.And that is it you like fluorescent lighting in the first place.

[ChrisBennett18]

what you maen witch one? lets see all of them but the normal lights dont have them

[ChrisBennett18]

the CLF bulb they still flicker they do it soo quick that you cant see it but your body can it gives people head ache also it has mercury in them witch is toxic and shouldnt be used at all in an house hold item when its mercury free then i might buy them

[chaldeanbabylonian]

ok i can't take this shit anymore about it being dangerous and contain mercury etc i broke one a few months ago and picked it up with bare hands and the powder with a broom and threw in the garbage can next to my computer and it was there for maybe a month till i cleaned it out so i was propably inhaling it and here i am nothing is wrong with me no poison or side effects so kiss my ass i don't believe in that shit unless your amune system is that of a 1month old infant then u have a problem lol

[inguatu]

well then you're a dumbass and you deserve to get cancer from the mercury. Also, please don't make any babies who are as dumb as you.

[abramrk1]

if you don't need to heat your home this is great but if it cost more on heating bill,

it completely defeats the saving.

[KarateKidX]

CFLs don 't last half as long as the box says

[samshoes92]

They also have mercury in them. The manufacturers say if a CFL breaks, you are supposed to evacuate the building, turn off ventilation systems, and replace the area of the floor it broke on.

[chompychomps]

I don't know about you, but these things get noisy, too.

[kevincease]

what about reptiles and animals that need incandecent

[shortcakehugs]

fhood: the reasons you should not be using them are 1: They contain highly toxic levels of mercury which are dangerous for humans and our environment. 2: Once the government mandates all americans use CFL bulbs in 2014 people will lose jobs in america because they are ONLY being manufactured in China.

[fhood]

I will stock up on the GE Reveal bulbs long before the 2014 deadline. I believe that a "black market" will develop where people will still sell and buy incandescent bulbs after the 2014 deadline passes. I use the GE Reveal bulbs everywhere in my apartment -- in my lamps, in my ceiling fixtures, in my oven, and even in the tiny light inside my refrigerator!

[hansonsux]

GE is working on super efficient incandescent lightbulbs that will make fluorescent lights obsolete. I always laugh when people think that LED is the wave of the future. It turns out LED isn't any more efficient than fluorescent lights. LED lights are currently at $50 or more per bulb, and are quite big and remind me of older fluorescent bulbs. Led is guite directional, and it does not make a good round bulb replacement.

[fhood]

I hate these CFL bulbs, and I'm never going to buy them. Currently, I use the GE Reveal bulbs in all my light fixtures at home. There is no way a CFL bulb is going to obtain the same warm light that the GE Reveal bulbs make.

[hoochis]

what are GE Reveal bulbs?

[fhood]

You can buy them at any hardware store or store like Target or Wal-Mart. They are a special bulb that filter out certain light waves to produce a really nice, warm light that brings out colors in the room. They are somewhat more expensive than regular bulbs, but worth it for the quality and kind of light they give off.

[hansonsux]

Reveal bulbs are less efficient than normal bulbs due to the purply glass that filters out yellow light. Look at the lumens on the box, a 60w should be about 800 to 880. But you will see 800 on a 75w Reveal so you will need to burn 15w more electricity to get the same amount of light.

[fhood]

GE Reveal bulbs are the best. Yes, they may use 15 watts of more electricity, but what's that compared to the billion dollar bailouts for Wall Street and now the U.S. automakers? I'm tired of these politicians making me give up simple comforts that are basically harmless so they can screw the rest of us out of billions of dollars. I will NEVER buy a CFC bulb (or whatever they're called). The CFC bulbs cost more, have mercury, and can't be thrown out in the trash even tho everybody does.

[RetiredAFGuy]

People act like mercury in household and business lighting is new....lol funny. Fluorescents of all types use a tiny bit of mercury and some use more - remember the mercury vapor (there's a reason it's called that) streetlights before the orange sodium vapor? They have a lot of mercury compared to CFL or regular fluorescents. Still in use, go to Lowes and for a mere $35 you can buy the buy and fixture - hardly a scare there and people put them in their yards and on their buildings.

[RetiredAFGuy]

I used to dislike the CFLs until the instant on spirals that now have the incandescent tone to them came out and that throw nearly the same lumens without the high current being used. 3 yrs ago we changed all but the outdoor bulbs (CFLs in the cold are very dim till they warm up) and our power bill has been noticably less, a lot less. I have had to change ONE bulb due to the electronics in it being spiked by a surge. All the rest are still working like day one and I love them.

[CleanGreenLight]

Let me try some numbers:

The average household has 50 light bulbs, with an average life of 10 years. Each bulb contains 20mg of mercury, so the mercury waste from one household is 1 gram every decade. With a toxic TLV of 25 microgrammes per cubic metre, that is potentially 40,000 cubic metres of toxic mercury vapour.

There are 30 million households in the UK alone, so that represents 30 metric tonnes of mercury released every decade, enough to pollute over 1000 cubic kilometres per decade.

[NicolasLaBarre]

I don't live in the UK.

[CleanGreenLight]

Thank you tculhane for your sensible and civilised discussion. Some years ago, I spent several weeks at the mercury mines in Spain, at Almaden. This is a mine whose many levels have been worked since Roman times, when slaves were used in the mines, for their short working lives. I was investigating mercury levels in the present day miners urine. Mercury is contained in metallic and cinnebar oxides, and is found in vertical volcanic seams in Italy and Spain.

[tculhane]

That is fascinating! I visited ancient copper mines and slag heaps in southern Israel last year and have wondered about the human cost of early mining. In Central Borneo I visited Birute Galdikas (the orangutan researcher) and she said the river we swam in there was so contaminated with mercury from the nearbye Gold mines that it was hurting the Dayak villages of her husbands tribe and the last great apes. It's a real problem. Thanks for posting, and please do write more. We all need to know!

[electrictroy2010]

@tculhane It's interesting you show the CFL inside an upside down fixture

.

In MY fixtures the heat from the bulb becomes trapped, and the CFL dies within a month or two (the heat cooks the capacitors). I'd be better off using incandescents that don't mind getting hot

.

[razornet1]

@electrictroy2010 I have also been quite dissapointed sometimes with the life expectancy of CFLs. However, the market has been flooded with very cheap quality CFLs from no name brands. But sometimes also the brands that claim they have a good quality also dont measure up. But, quality CFLs should have absolutely no problem with overheating. However, new studies have concluded that CFLs emmit posion gases during use, even though it is extremely minimal.

[razornet1]

@electrictroy2010 The same problems will occure with the LED technology. A lot of poor quality in the beginning (amount of light, quality of light, length of light, limited markets and sales in certain parts of the world). But, the technology is there for a perfect LED light that has no disadvantages and a ton of advantages over the CFL and incondesent. You will have to do a lot of searching, but if you find it, do support it buy buying it and sending a message that there is a market for this.

[CleanGreenLight]

Whilst is IS possible to dispose of mercury safely, it is wrong to assume that this will always be the case. The phosphors in fluorescent bulbs are also toxic, valuable resources and energy are used in manufacturing the control electronics. I have yet to find a compact fluorescent bulb that emits a steady light of a pleasant colour temperature. All fluorescent lamps flicker at 100 Hz, and as they age, this often causes flicker harmonics at 50 Hz.

[tculhane]

Thanks for the deeper explanation CleanGreenLight! This now becomes a very productive dialouge, and not just the usual polemics youtube is famous for. I DO know about Minamata Bay -- I did a lengthy paper on it back in High School in the 1970's called "Poseidon's Last Stand" and made a presentation using W. Eugene Smith's touching photographs and got ridiculed by my peers for being "one of those alarmist enviro-whackos". I'll never forget the spider-web vein-like scars on the childrens' faces.

[tculhane]

I agree with you that it is criminal to put more mercury in our environment as it will inevitably be methylated into its worst organic and bioactive form. My uncle, Gus Rassam, executive director of the American Fisheries society, has been upset for years about fluorescent tubes and their impact on the Potomac and Chesepeak Bay, and was the first person I know to rail against the expansion in their use as a health hazard, so you are quite right. What I am afraid of in this debate is that

[tculhane]

the public doesn't get properly informed about how much mercury fossil fuels are putting into our environment, and it seems the energy companies are quick to use the lesser amount of Hg as an excuse to continue business as usual.I think, much as we are pushing for cap and trade regulating carbon,we should cap and trade Hg so as to drive mercury vapor bulbs off the market along with incandescents. Surely we can get Clean Green Light technologies to market faster and cheaper. What do you suggest?

[electrictroy2010]

@tculhane I'm an electrical engineer. WHY do I even want to switch to CFLs? So I can save a measly 1-2 pennies each month? That seems pointless

.

Besides I'll burn up several dollars (and emits lots of CO2) having to drive the CFLs to the landfill after they die. That's doesn't seem very "green" to me

.

[razornet1]

@electrictroy2010 well, then I have to question your math skills as an engineer (with all respect). My father is also an electrical engineer that works at a power plant and gets electricity from his company at a very cheap rate that the public doesnt get. And although, I am only an engineering manager, it is very simple to equate that for every CFL you buy you will save around 200 US dollars on that bulb (give or take at different prices and utilities).

[CleanGreenLight]

I worked on mercury pollution detection for eight years and I can tell you this - there is no way I would use any fluorescent tube containing mercury in my home. Obviously you have forgotton/never heard of the Minemata Bay tragedy. The effects of mercury on the human body are quite deadly. I can think of no more effective way of poisoning the general population than to add a droplet to millions of lightbulbs, and then advise the population to use them.

[CleanGreenLight]

Compact fluorescent light bulbs release highly toxic mercury vapour when broken. The TLV (Threshold Limit Value) is only 25 micrograms per cubic meter (OSHA).

It will cost your local authority dearly to provide for their disposal.

They are not dimmable, they are slow to warm up, have a tendency to flicker, and have a poor color.

They will not save much electricity. If you normally need to heat your home, the so-called 'waste' heat from conventional bulbs helps heat your home.

[tculhane]

If you are truly pushing for "Clean Green Light" solutions and you have a suggestion (such as I made below and in my article about LED lights and quantum dot lights

See solarcitiesDOTblogspotDOTcom/2­008/03/you-cant-change-people-­but-you-canDOThtml

then I applaud your criticism. If, on the other hand, you are trying to steer people back to incandescents I truly doubt your green credentials. New rare-earth CFLs are dimmable, don't flicker and have great color. And we don't need the extra heat!

[tculhane]

Also, review the arguments about mercury vapor from coal burning and other fossil fuel power plants. I agree we should get rid of the mercury, but incandescents are the wrong way to go. CFLs meet the EPA standard for low toxicity and are far less harmful than the amounts of mercury released by power plants. By the way, mercury vapor is not the only fluorescent, and GE has a mercury free bulb patent that they are trying to make economically competitive. Anyway, you CAN dispose the Hg properly

[tculhane]

While mercury from CFLs can be safely and economically disposed of (as we do here in Germany, using the cost savings in energy, so not a burden on the municipality), that from smokestacks cannot be safely or easily or economically dealt with.  So it is about choices in a non perfect world, and we do the best we can. Thanks for commenting.

[tculhane]

I made this video back when CFL's were arguably the only economical contender for replacing incandescents. I now favor LED lamps. No mercury issue to argue about, no breakage issue, no heat to speak of, and they use just a trickle of energy. Here in Germany we can buy them in any store. Pretty harsh to call me a "CFL Nazi" as one comment did. I am merely working to help protect all of our families from economic and environmental hardship. Hardly "Nazi" of me...

[cariboost]

For a more realistic comparison, go to jnblog.typepad.com/provocation­s/2007/12/compact-fluores.html

[raursf]

I invite everyone to read this article on CFL and the incandescent ban. It's very englightening - no pun intended! ;)

You tube block URLs, so please copy the "URL" below and change the + signs to dots:

sound+westhost+com/articles/in­candescent+htm#std

[gewehrmeister3777]

Their comparison is dishonest.

The R30 75 watt lamp produces ~880 lumens. The 25 watt fluorescent produces ~1,300-1,500 lumens.

A more accurate comparison would be with a 13-15 watt fluorescent reflector lamp as what they are using is intended to replace a 100 watt R30 lamp.

[ccoraxfan]

Why do Greens always ignore the mercury issue, or claim incandescents produce more mercury indirectly via power plants? If our energy came from nuclear, hydro and wind plants, we'd have no pollution from coal would we? But it's the Greens who keep us from building nuclear plants or any other clean power source. Shame on them!

[ccoraxfan]

If you turn CFLs on and off all the time, you shorten their life. 15,000 hours? No way! Try 10,000 at the most, and many now are saying 8,000 or less. This is because most people don't use them in controlled laboratory environments. Also, they do contain mercury, and most people do and will continue to toss them in the trash. Also when they fail they often do so by overheating and burning up. Put them on a dimmer or photocell, they burn up. Their usefulness is limited.

[IM1deadMONEY]

Impressive! - I don't know about the pay for themselves in notime however.

[raursf]

Theres is an issue regarding the increase in the usage of these CFLs. They are known to incresase the "electrical pollution", due to their poor Power Factor which is about 0,5 or 0,6 at the best. This causes some issues on the current and voltage of the electrical system and this reduce the quality of the power. I'm not telling people not to use these lamps, but this Power Factor issue must be addressed buy the manufactures. Google it yourselves. ;)

[saratogaslim]

20%-25% of a normal electric bill goes toward heating your home. So if your bill is $100 (which most are more nowadays) up to $25 is for lighting. Install CFL bulbs, and you cut your bill by roughly $16-$18 per month! That's $200 per year.

[ccoraxfan]

The vast majority of my electric bill is for heating. My bill more than triples in winter, because I use electric heat. Though I do use CFLs in some fixtures, these save me very little money, and I mostly use them because they last longer. I am somewhat concerned about the mercury released when one breaks, which has happened to me more than once, also the fact that I've had several of them fail by overheating and arcing/smoking/burning, even burning the wires off the tube ends.

[saratogaslim]

When I wrote "20-25% goes toward heating your home" I meant to write "20-25% goes toward LIGHTING your home." My mistake. Heating your home is ridiculous nowadays, so I know what you're saying. Are you using CFLs in "normal" fixtures? I've never had a problem with mine. It's probably better not using them in lamps that could fall over and break because of the trace amount of mercury. Good luck with those heating bills.

[ccoraxfan]

Define a "normal" fixture! I've used them mainly in non-enclosed fixtures. One failure was in a fixture designed for the light which failed. The built-in ballast failed too, so the fixture is junk unless I can adapt it.

[saratogaslim]

I don't know then. I have them in every light in my house--recessed lighting, lamps, outdoors, indoors, basement, bathroom. I honestly have never had an issue, and my electric bills are way down from when I moved into this house.

[saratogaslim]

Either you're buying the real cheap ones or there's a problem with electrical box in your house. I've been using mine for years and I've only had to replace 2 or 3.

[wewe2121122212346457]

they contain a tiny amount of mercury and they are recyclable.

[nmste]

Is Washington putting a serious recycling program in their plan to ban the incandescents? Mercury is a huge problem already,, this is a dumb idea

[respectthe1911]

yes they consume less power but they contain mecury

[andyplace]

If they only last 3 months, there is probably something wrong with the electrical connection to the bulb, such as instable voltage. Have you tried trusted brand named CFL's like GE?

[woww1994]

i think everybody should have cfls except:

IF ITS ON A DIMMER SWITCH

OR FOR SOMETHING ELSE THAT NEEDS INCANDESENT BULBS

AND ITS EASIER TO SPELL

C F L

[andyplace]

Really, I have a CFL in my kitchen that says DIM ABLE right on the base. My house is almost completely lit by CFL's.

[himatrix]

Ppl who don't like CFLs are penny pichers who don't want to pay for anything and don't give a shit about efficiency and pollution. It's true that cheap CFLs don't last long. Cheapest ones last about 3000 hrs, average 5000-6000 hrs and best last about 10000-15000 hrs. It's like comparing a 2-stroke engine to a 4-stroke engine. 4-stroke engine is more efficient, pollutes less and lasts longer.

[leafybean]

LED bulbs > Fluoresent bulbs > Incandescent bulbs

LED bulbs use far less energy then fluoresent bulbs, dont have mercury, are shatter/vibation resistant, and have INSANE bulb life.

Most LED bulbs can last over 60,000 hours. Thats a little over 6.8 freaking years!

Also why in the hell do you worry about the mercury dust unless you drop or break lightbulbs all the time like a retard.

[my83merc]

the "hard to properly dispose of because of Hg content" should be mentioned...

[alanroderick]

If I break a fluoresent bulb and I gotta call four government agencies They want you to have to call a bureaucracy every time you do anything, is where they're headed. So I the environmental clean up firm, "gave me a'low-ball' estimate of $2,000 to clean up the room. The room was then sealed-off with plastic I began 'gathering finances' to pay for the $2,000 cleaning. MY insurance company wouldn't cover the clean-up costs because mercury is a pollutant," and they don't insure pollutants

[davisnin]

There is a negligible amount of mercury in CFLs. You are far worse off eating some fish and breathing in the air polluted by the mercury released by burning more coal to run an incandescent. LEDs are most efficient for spot lighting applications not ambient lighting.

[Flipako773]

cool.

[coviekiller5]

Still don't like fluorescents that much, Incandescents are much safer, do you know there's Mercury dust in fluorescents? Not to say I won't use them, because I do, but only in spots that are hard to reach, I don't want to worry about breaking it and breathing in Mercury, but thats just me.

[HairyPeo]

Then you'll probably like the next generation light technology; LED's. They're makin their way into many light applications allready, they're mercury-free, instant-on, and they beat the fluorescent bulbs in both lifetime and enery efficiency...!

[gewehrmeister3777]

LED bulbs are exponentially more expensive than incandescents or cfl bulbs. A fixture with 400 LEDs has the same light output as a 60 watt incandescent bulb. On Ebay a fixture with 400 LEDs costs 50 bucks. :p