Letters to the Editor
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Who's gonna take a CFL to a hazmat center?
I think the issue of mercury in our environment is a serious one but realistically nobody's gonna take their burned out or shattered CFL to a better alternative. Why not see that every CFL and every consumer battery for devices (they contain a number of toxic ingredients I'd like to see eliminated from our waste stream) is produced and sold with an envelope into which the old one can be placed and put into a mailbox. As 1st class and advertising mail is replaced by more and more use of electronic communications, it would be a wise thing to have our mail carriers do the needed task of seeing that these particularly troublesome products make it back to their sources before they contaminate the waste stream we hope one day to be the ground upon which we live.
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Good Article -- and Advice
I live in a smallish chalet in the French Ardennes. It was designed and built as a weekend get-away, and modified at a later date to be a commercial vacation rental -- add a half-bath and blow some little styrofoam beads between a couple of walls for insulation. The main living space is a great room that's 7 X 7 meters, lighted by four ceiling lamps, using 60 watt incandescent bulbs costing .43 euro apiece. I replaced the bulbs with 14 watt fluorescents that have a 75 watt equivalent power at 4.80 euro per lamp and guaranteed for 6 years. Rough arithmatics suggest that I have gained 25% in illumination, cut 75% in energy cost/consumption and saved between 3 & 4 euro in bulb replacements in 6 years. So, is it a good thing, or not?
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3 Way Bulbs?
I use 3-Way bulbs in several lamps in my home. Are these new bulbs available in 3 way? And in soft white?
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Not the silver bullet!
“And although one dot of mercury might not seem so bad, almost 300 million compact fluorescents were sold in the United States last year.” (NY Times Feb. 17, 2008)
5mg x 300,000,000 = 1500kg = 3306lbs
While some lamps are 4mg most are still 5mg
This is not insignificant for one year’s production and does not include linear tube fluorescents which have more mercury per lamp.
I was just at a seminar and saw calculations showing that the reduction in mercury from power emissions is greater than the mercury in the lamp. This was based on the typical US power generation mix of >50% coal. If we assume that most environmentally concerned readers are like me and purchase non-coal produced power then using CFL’s without proper recycling does increase the mercury emitted into the atmosphere.
Concerns about embodied energy in the manufacture & the environmental conditions in China are legitimate.
Emerging evidence of the direct connection between light and the human hormonal system suggests that the spectrum of light produced by CFL’s has negative effect if it is a part of our nighttime environment.
CFL’s are not a silver bullet but can be useful so we must be considerate in using them widely.
The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America’s New York City chapter has hosted a series of seminars called “Bye Bye Incandescent”. Some of the presentations have been posted if you want further information.
Halogen replacement light bulbs, especially those with IR conserving technology, are somewhat 10- 30% more efficient than standard incandescent lamps while still giving a good spectrum and working with existing fixtures and dimmers.
The most efficient light is the one that is turned off when no one is in the room.
Charles Cameron, IESNA, Assoc. IALD
Principal + Lighting Wonk
Meeker Cameron Lighting Design Group
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Position of Flourescent Bulbs
Can the fluorescent bulb be used in any position besides up with the base down? I purchased one to experiment in my desk lamp where the bulb is installed base up with the light projecting down. The bulb burned out within the first hour. Was the position of the bulb the problem, or was the burn out a rare anomaly?
Also, re the mercury content of the bulbs, the only waste disposal site for such material is 25 miles away from where I live. Given current fuel prices, well....
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Energy Saving Fluorescent Bulbs
I had a problem with one of these bulbs when I used it with a dimmer switch - it started to smoke. As far as I know, they don't warn the consumer about this potential problem. Also, I have had some of these bulbs give off a chemical odor while on (like a computer will do sometimes if it has not been cleaned of industrial solvents used in the manufacturing process). This could be a problem for people with chemical sensitivities.
Leo Gaten
Sequim, WA
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dimmer bulbs work, but they don't get very bright
I recently bought a dimmer-compatible CFL that I've been pretty satisfied with. It's actually housed in a plastic bulb that makes it look like an incandescent (same size as a regular bulb). I have a lamp on a timer so that it dims on over the course of a half hour in the morning (an attempt to help myself wake up to sunrise-esque conditions in the winter), and I've been pretty satisfied with it. The only problem is that it's equivalent to 40 watts, which is not as bright as I would prefer. The owner of the store where I bought the bulb said that this is currently the brightest dimmable CFL that's available, but that brighter ones are coming. I have the box in front of me and it looks like the brand is "TCP" in case anyone is interested. The price was $17.50, which, if I'm remembering correctly, is more expensive than a regular CFL (not unexpected, I guess). Oh, and it has a nice warm light.