Letters to the Editor
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What to do with your bulbs? A: Send them to me!
Because I'm still using them, and plan to for a long time yet. In fact, I've been snatching them up at garage and estate sales. I have a pretty good supply right now that will last me a few years, but I figure I will get plenty more over time.
I also have the curly fluorescent ones -- I bought some a few years back before all the fuss about them -- and they are OK for certain applications, but unless they are drastically improved, they are not an adequate substitute for incandescent bulbs in many applications. Other posters have detailed the problems; they take forever to come on, the light is very harsh, they flicker in 'dimmer' outlets.
I think they work fine in certain areas of the home -- places that are hard to get in to change a bulb, attics or hallways. But I find them miserable for applying makeup, cooking or reading.
Some people have said "oh the ones I bought 7 years ago are working fine". Well, all compact fluorescents are not equal. The original ones were made in the US by big bulb manufacturers. Now they are all made, much more cheaply and insubtantially, in China (no surprise there).
As well as inferior light, this has decimated the US bulb industry and closed factories and sent seasoned lighting workers into unemployment. And I know -- I live in Cleveland, just down the road from former GE lighting headquarters at Nela Park. We were once the locus of bulb manufacturering AND research & testing: no more. When you buy CFLs from China, you are also putting the stake into the heart of another American business. And on the mercury issue, we are also trusting a foreign supplier who has not been especially trustworthy in other areas, such as producing safe food products -- why would we think they would care any more about mercury safety?
While lighting is an important outlay of energy dollars, quality matters too. Some folks could do a whole lot more to safe energy if they replaced their electricty guzzling appliances: you are doing nobody a favor by clinging to that old refrigerator. New ones are several times more efficient. Ditto for your washer and dryer; if you upgrade to a frontloader next time AND switch your dryer from electric to gas (if available), you will be saving time, money AND energy....probably a lot more than changing over all the bulbs in your house.
For what it's worth, yeah I still have mercury thermometers. I have rotary dial phones, too. When the apocalyse comes, I will be all set.
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To Ducati re: three way
There are three way CFLs on the market now. We installed one a couple of weeks ago, and aside from the slow warm-up, it works just fine.
A lot of people seem to snipe about "imaginary" effects like headaches and general unease caused by CFLs. To you I say: just because you don't experience it doesn't mean it's not real. People have varying sensitivity to both light and sound. My girlfriend can't hear the high-pitched whine the TV makes when it's on, but it drives me nuts, even in another room with the door closed. She also can't see the difference between incandescent and CFL.
Like many people, the idea of living in an all-CFL world make me shudder. I am intensely bothered by many fluorescents, especially older ones. It's not about looking bad; it's about physical discomfort. This summer I convinced the intern I shared an office with to keep the lights off nearly all the time (we had plenty of natural light from the window). Miraculously, the headaches that both of us had been getting around 3 pm each day disappeared. Our co-workers thought we were nuts.
CFLs probably have a disproportionately large effect on people with Seasonal Affective Disorder. The older ones especially give a light with a weak, dingy tone that makes February in northern Wisconsin even more Kafka-esque than usual.
I will say that the new soft white CFLs are a marked improvement on the first generation. We've installed four in our living room and kitchen in the last couple of weeks, and so far so good.
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I find some responses bizarre
I have known of CFLs since 1993, and used them exclusively since 1996.
I am still using some bulbs I bought in the late 90s.
The quality of CF light has improved markedly. No, it's not as warm as incandescent.
But I have gotten a nice inner glow from having been the envy of the neighborhood for years. My energy bills have typically been half of my neighbors' average. I have told people repeatedly for over ten years now: Replace with compact fluorescents.
(It's kind of annoying that it has taken massive media focus on "green" living to actually get them to do it.)
I am looking forward to affordable consumer LED lamps. I've already installed a number of expensive units in frequently illuminated areas of my home. Even these will pay for themselves in a year or so.
Apart from questions about mercury content, I find the resistance and skepticism about CFLs bizarre, and the stubborn attachment to the quality of incandescent lighting insufferably precious.
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At least donate the old ones...
to charity or goodwill, or your favorite charitable agency that is trying to keep it's doors open and needs light bulbs to do daily business. The idea of smashing up unused manufactured goods and sending them off to a landfill is shameful.
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Reading lights
A year or so ago I changed every bulb possible in my house to CFLs. I've tried several different kinds and am not happy with them in certain situations, though I'll continue to use them. I simply can't find one bright enough to comfortably read by. And the three-ways are a joke.
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Problems
I switched to all CFLs a couple years ago. Two of my bulbs have already burned out! One is in a bathroom which is only used occasionally, the other is in my child's bedroom overhead light. They lasted no longer than the incandescents that were in those fixtures. In spite of trying many different brands and wattages, I can't find one bright enough to read by. The three-ways are a joke - the lower settings are almost useless unless you're trying to have a candlelight dinner sans candles. And the energy savings are quite minimal considering the poor quality of the light. I barely notice a difference in my electric bill, but then, I was always very conscientious about turning off lights I was't using. I'll continue to use these bulbs, but I sure hope they improve in the next few years.