Will you switch to CFL bulbs if it will save you $440 to $1,500?

Question

Regular incandescent light bulbs may be phased out by 2012:
http://biz.yahoo.com/usnews/071219/19_faq_the_end_of_the_light_bulb_as_we_know_it.html?.v=1&.pf=banking-budgeting

How do I save money, when a CFL costs six times as much as an old-fashioned bulb?

Each cone-shaped spiral CFL costs about $3, compared with 50 cents for a standard bulb. But a CFL uses about 75 percent less energy and lasts five years instead of a few months. A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity. Look at your utility bill and imagine a 12 percent discount to estimate the savings.

Read the article:
- There are new CFL bulbs that apparently are more "red" now (I was uncomfortable reading by the original onnes too)
- The mercury content per bulb is small and does not require special handling. The issue is that you wouldn't want a few million of them accumulating in a landfill where it would seep into your municipal groundwater supply.
- The total amount of mercury is less since coal power plants spew mercury into the air in large quantities, which then gets into the food chain and into our food (tuna, slamon, trout, etc).

Answer 1

Already have.

There's so much nonsense about these. First the mercury thing (well explained above) and now this:

"In fact, they don't save power unless they are left on for long periods of time. Turning them on and off will use more electricity than incandescent bulbs."

They save power all the time. Turning them on uses very extra little power (otherwise your circuit breaker would blow) for a tiny fraction of a second.

Answer 2

You know I've done a lot of shopping for light fittings (because I've renovated and changed ever light fitting in my house). Anyway, light shops tend to only have incandescent bulbs in their display fittings. I asked the attendant how much they spend in electricity every month and she said it's huge.

Naturally when you buy lights, they try to sell you bulbs, but they type they offer in incandescent. It seemed like such a wasted opportunity. If they put some compact fluroescent bulbs in their display models, they would save heaps of electricity and when customers bought lights, they could say, would you like incandescent or fluro with that. I'm sure they make more money on a 5$ fluro than a 50 cent incandescent bulb.

They might even help the environment.

Actually I think everyone should get some compact fluro lights (unless, like some people they give you headaches). Not only do they save money, save the environment, but you don't have to change the bulbs so often.

Answer 3

I can not switch to CFL because they hurt my Wife's eyes. She, like my Mom and a few people at my last job have an allergy to the light emitted from a CFL bulb which is more green then Incandecent light (which is more orange/yellow)

At my last job, they fitted the long tube florescent fixtures with a Rose colored filter to reduce people's eye irration. -- Some people STILL complained of headaches so they turned off Half the lights in the office.

I haven't seen a product like that for the CFL bulbs sold in stores,.... YET

Until then I will not be using them at my house :(

Answer 4

Your 'CFL' bulbs you can get for cheaper than that. Been using them for years actually. But LED light bulbs are the future really. Last much longer than a CFL light bulb and use much less power than the CFL even.
So far they are expensive to buy initially though, a 60watt Incandescent is comparable to a 13watt CFL which is comparable to a 2.5 watt LED.

Answer 5

I have switched about half my house, about 50 bulbs. It is a minor amount of electricity, relative to the costs of air conditioning a house on the third coast. They need to invent a CFL air conditioner.

Answer 6

CFL's are not the future. In fact, they don't save power unless they are left on for long periods of time. Here's how Energy Star describes their limitations:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

It's not a bad thing, but like any neon or fluorescent bulb, they save more in situations where it is necessary to leave the lights on for long periods of time.

Also, as someone else noted, they can be very dangerous if broken since they contain mercury. You can't dispose of them in your regular trash. Luckily Home Depot offers dumping places for them.

So we shouldn't ban other types of light bulbs. There should be the freedom to use different light bulbs for different applications.

The LED's are the best idea so far and should replace all bulbs eventually and they're 100% safe if broken. Also they last decades. But until they become more affordable, let's not start banning bulbs to be politically correct.

Answer 7

Also--because the CFLbulbs last longer, that offsets the added cost. Besides--you are overpaying. I getmine at places like HomeDepot orLowes. And pay about $10-12 for a packof6.

Answer 8

I just read this word for word in the news but yes we are already partially switched. I also just from this same article learned that there is mercury in them which is alittle concerning to me. I will be doing more research on that.

Answer 9

I've had CFLs for years.

Answer 10

i didn't know light bulbs were named after the Canadian Football League