129 replies to this topic

[MakingCents]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 09 January 2012 - 03:01 AM, said:

Understandable. I didn't know that.

No problem, just didn't want people to think I was hating on CFLs.   They are wonderful for 99% of people and we do use them in overhead and outdoor lights.  Just not in lights that could get knocked over and easily broken :)

[Hydrotopia]

I don't understand why they can't just make unbreakable CFL's?

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Hydrotopia, on 09 January 2012 - 01:58 PM, said:

I don't understand why they can't just make unbreakable CFL's?

dow and monsanto are probably working on it as we speak. gmo-cfl's.

[tigerlily78]

Hydrotopia, on 09 January 2012 - 01:58 PM, said:

I don't understand why they can't just make unbreakable CFL's?

Well, I am sure much of it has to do with increased costs and the nuances involved with the word "unbreakable".

There is at least one new kind of CFL bulb with a silicone outer shell that claims to contain the mercury risk if the glass tube of the bulb inside is broken...  Go and Google  "Armorlite CFL by Clearlite"

Of course the main complaint with the bulb seems to be that the silicone cover has some effect on the light output, and another complaint is that (like many CFLS) it doesn't work properly in dimming light fixtures.

[MakingCents]

And un-breakable, or at least a break resistant CFL would make me VERY happy indeed.  Then I would say that I will most definitely make the switch in probably 98% of the bulbs in my house!

[Jessi]

I use energy saver lightbulbs, too. I didn't immediately replace the entire house's worth, but as the regular lightbulbs burned out, I gradually put in all new, better bulbs. I think I probably only have maybe 3 or 4 incandescent ones left total, and that includes the little ones in nightlights

When I was in college, there was an organization that did a "free replacement" sweep of all the dorms. They came through, floor by floor, handing out CFLs in exchange for the old ones. I thought it was a great idea to get them switched over, but I always wondered what they ended up doing with the old bulbs.

[brihooter]

We are currently using the energy saver bulbs as well.  We just switched to them recently.

[greenking]

CFL bulbs, they are the best, I also use them at home. =)

[Sandra Piddock]

I don't have any incandescent bulbs in the house at all now - they're all energy saving, but they don't give such a bright light for reading and close work. For that reason, I've invested in a special tray which I can use for the computer. It has a small but bright LED light, which shines on the keyboard so I can work away. I can also use it for reading.

[shenk]

At home we use traditional bulbs in the toilet, and in places where the light is on for just a short time, and use energy saver ones in the kitchen, and in the living rooms. I heard the frequent switching can lower the life-span of these bulbs.

[katniss]

Those screwy little bulbs sometimes only last a week in this house. we have yet to get 6 months out of one, and they are very temperamental. If struck by sudden cold from an opened door, they will crack into very tiny pieces. in our rural area they are very costly 1 @ $8.99 where as a regular bulb is 3 for a $1.00. The light is nice and white, very slow to illuminate, but the cost does not yet offset. Even if left on continuously we have yet to see the green savings. The Mercury is a whole other concern. especially with autism. So until the technology is improved we are against them. We can punch wholes in our atmosphere but we can't yet light the dark effectively.

[Sarah C.]

I use CFLs in my home as well. A neighbor turned me on to them. Anything I can do to become more green, is what my goal is. This was one of my first steps in the process.,

[dconklin]

We have the fluorescent bulbs.  It is an apartment and that is the lighting fixtures we have in the ceiling.  Our bathroom has the U shaped ones and the rest of the apartment has the long straight shaped ones.  They do product a lot of light and seem to last a long time! I would prefer others, but I don't want a bunch of lamps around the apartment and this is what it is set up for.

[Nahshon3161]

At present i am using LED light bulbs. They burn way less than the CFL bulbs but they are a bit more expensive.

[Hysssss-teria]

We live in one of the Navy’s residential townhouse neighborhoods, and they are surprisingly green-oriented.

All of the fixtures throughout are fitted with CFL bulbs when you move in. They instruct the residents to call them or to run by one of the maintenance offices if a light bulb blows. They provide replacement CFL bulbs free of charge.

In fact, the fixture directly above the stairs would be impossible for John Q. Citizen to replace safely unless he’s a very acrobatic contortionist. If a bulb goes out there, they come in and take care of it for you. Even if the resident is elderly or ill or whatever, they’ll come in and replace any bulb in the unit. Again, this is all offered for free.

[btatro]

My apartment complex manager recently came in and replaced all of the bulbs in the lighting fixtures with CFL bulbs. I thought this was great on their part. They also installed a water conserving shower head. I appreciate their efforts to be more green! When I moved in, my local utility company also provided me with a 5 pk of free CFL bulbs. Going green is certainly the popular theme in my area!

[aphil]

I'm using regular light bulbs because I didn't completely realize the difference. I have been hearing some buzz in the news but not playing complete attention to it. The facts you have presented here are inspiring me to take the plunge and do this one more thing to help our beloved environment. I know it cost more, but if my budget is tight, I can start with one. Every little bit counts.

[clewand550]

We use compact fluorescent light bulbs in most of my lights.  I have incandescent light bulbs in a few of my lights. We will be changing over to all compact fluorescent light bulbs as the incandescent light bulbs go.

[mariaandrea]

I just have to share what an unbelievable deal I got last week on CFL bulbs. My local QFC grocery store had a large display of Greenlite 13 W CFLs on sale for 3 for $1. Seriously. I bought 9. I had some fixtures that needed new lights right away and I'm really impressed with the quality. They're the same output as 60 W incandescents and the light is nice and warm. I can't tell the difference between the 2 types of bulbs.

The downside is that I did a little online research after I bought them and found many reviews that said the bulbs have a tendency to catch fire and they burn out quicker than they say they do. There's a 2 year warranty on them and they claim to last up to 11 years if used a few hours a day. I figure if they last even a couple of years they'll be worth it for the price, but I am a little worried about the fire thing. No one said a fixture caught on fire or they started a house fire, but the bulbs themselves spark and smoke and turn black when they go out. Good thing we never leave lights on when we leave the house...

[Anna T]

We are using some CFL's and some just standard bulbs. We're trying to make the switch over to solely using CFL's but that's proving a little difficult because of the cost and our limited budget.

I also worry about the CFL's breaking.