Green Living Blog: How many editors does it take to change a lightbulb?
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Today's story is courtesy of Christina Anson Mine, managing editor at Canadian Living.
Incandescent bulbs, I wish I knew how to quit you!Just like Jack in Brokeback Mountain, I can't seem to tear myself away from my taboo love. There's something so warm, so comforting about the soft light of incandescents that I find myself drifting back to them every time I start flirting with more energy-efficient bulbs. I know I should be going greener, but I just can't help myself.
Most of the eco-friendly changes I've made have been easy – and they've stuck. Taking the bus to work, driving my ultra-low-emissions car, buying organic and local whenever possible and logical – all of these have been a piece of cake. But cleaning up my environmental act and switching to CFLs or LEDs is tough. There's nothing romantic about the blinding, blue-tinged, police-interrogation-room light of LEDs or the flickery yellow of CFLs.
I think it was my choice of bulbs at the start of my quest for greener light that did me in. A few years ago, when CFLs were new, I had no idea what I was looking at. "Eleven watts for 60 watts of light?!" I cried at my bewildered husband. "Honey, get a cart!"
They were awful. Those cheap little 11-watters were so dim that you'd have to have a chandelier full of them – which totally defeats the purpose. Secondly, even if you did have a hundred, they bathe the room in a sickly yellow light that makes you feel like you're sitting in a can of waxed beans. They just weren't worth the eye strain and the malaise they induced.
Or so I thought.
Recently, my green guilt got to me. My parents had switched to CFLs and were raving about how much better they had become and how much energy they were saving. So I headed to Home Depot and picked up a new bulb made by Phillips that promised the same energy savings but light that evoked something found in nature, not a hospital corridor.
We picked up a 16-watt CFL to replace a 65-watt one we had in one of the potlights downstairs. I was skeptical, but my husband gamely screwed it in and flipped the switch. It took a minute to warm up, but the light was nearly indistinguishable from that of its incandescent neighbours. Side-by-side, they looked almost identical. Eureka!
Now that we've found an alternative that works, we're planning on putting in CFLs whenever an incandescent burns out. We've got a couple going now, and the rest should burn out within the next year or so. It spreads out the cost – those good CFLs are not cheap – and gives me a chance to say a long goodbye to my secret love.
What do you think of compact fluorescents? Have you started making a change, and have you found a brand that works for you? Share your comments below.Today's code word: bulbs.
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March 24th, 2008 at 10:54 am
My only issue with CFLs is:
ONE (as the picture shows) they come with a lot of plastic packaging, shouldn't there be a law or something about any "green" item that immediately causes yet more consumer waste? I believe the incandescent bulb pkg. I just threw out had two skimpy pieces of cardboard inside a thin little box that contained four bulbs.
TWO the mercury (small as it is) we are now unleashing into our environment in EACH bulb. Not to mention the almost HazMat like event that you have to go through if you happen to break one (do not touch it with your hands in any way then immediately find out how to properly dispose of it and post this somewhere in your house like a poison alert)
LASTLY we have, like you, about six different kinds in our house, some we like, some we don't - what to do? what to do? They last so long and there's no way to repurpose them into another part of the house.
I really don't like the mercury part so maybe LEDs and organic LEDs will begin to take on the consumer home lighting market better in the future.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Hi Tes,
Thanks for your feedback.
1. You're right, the packaging is awful. What would be nice is some sort of reusable packaging, since as you mention the bulbs are fragile and do need good packaging.
2. That's a good point, and we should make it clear to everyone that compact fluorescents shouldn't go in the garbage. A number of retailers (including, I think Ikea) will take them back and dispose of them safely.
I think now that lightbulbs have become such a politicized topic manufacturers will be putting lots more R&D into energy-efficient and pleasant options.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I have found that my electric bill has a lower since I have replaced a murcury yard light with an outdoor flourecent and a motion detector on the back enterance.
March 25th, 2008 at 7:08 am
We've slowly switched out all but 3 lights to CFL's. We started with those that were used most frequently and saw an immediate reduction in our energy costs.
However, like Tes, I am a bit disgusted with the packaging and have written to the manufacturers to tell them so.
We are fortunate to have several stores in our area that will take them back when they die but that hasn't happened yet.
March 25th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I just saw a story on the news the other night that said that these CFL's contain mercury and require being disposed of at your local eco-station. You may save a buck, but is it worth possibly contaminating your home with mercury? Also I've heard that if one is broken at home there is quite a lengthy clean up process to ensure that no one is infected by the contaminents in the bulbs. It's almost like poison control - open the windows, sweep up debris, use something tacky to pick up smaller particles that wouldn't be picked up by a broom excetera. I have a three year old and a six month old, I really don't need an extra safety hazard around here. Packaging is the least of my concerns.
Instead of concerning myself with all of this; I open the blinds and turn off the lights. Our household useage, based on the size of our home, is much less than the average user, according to our utilities company.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:17 am
I agree entirely with Katrina.
A lot has to be improved before I will replace all our bulbs with CFLs. We have a few & do not like the light it gives off. But worse, the possiblity of mercury poisoning steers me clear of these until they are improved. We too will just keep the lights off when not absolutely needed.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Hi all, I just found this page on homedepot.ca that has information on recycling CFLs at their stores.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I have changed the lights through all the main rooms in our house. I haven't changed the bathroom lights because it is impossible to even you skin tone and make-up with funky blue tinted lights. I had not heard of these new bulbs so that news is exciting.
However i still have a few lamps in the house, as well as a dining fixture hooked up to a dimmer switch, and all these items have to have halogen or incadecent bulbs... soon we'll find a way past it.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Some CFL bubls are dimmable now, and some are even made for tri-light lamps. That's good.
However, I found one "bad" today. One of my bathroom ones went pop! this morning, so now I have to dispose of it and get a replacement. It's less than six months old. So much for longevity! Here's to hoping that it's brothers and sisters all over the house are more robust....