Comments on: Earth Day Synchronicity

By: tofor

tofor — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:04:30 +0000

Bill-Don’t even get me started.

By: Cidu Bill

Cidu Bill — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:19:09 +0000

I equate CFLs with ethanol: a good idea on the face of it, but made mandatory without thought to unintended and unexpected consequences.

By: tofor

tofor — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:09:59 +0000

I actually bought a CFL today off a discount rack (It’s GE brand). This whole conversation got me curious enough. I have been around CFLs, but never really tried them out for myself.
This does nothing to negate the fact that I don’t want the government making this decision for me.

By: Cidu Bill

Cidu Bill — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:52:26 +0000

Okay, honestly, I’m going to assume that in the end most alternatives are equally harmful to the environment in some way — so I’m basing my judgment on the fact that one also has the potential of releasing neurotoxins in my home and one does not.

By: Size

Size — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:58:31 +0000

It’s worth pointing out that coal-fired power plants also release mercury into the environment. The reduced electricity use therefore more than offsets the mercury in the bulbs, which with appropriate recycling shouldn’t be much of an issue anyway.

By: Pheidias

Pheidias — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:16:08 +0000

I’ve been using CFLs for 23 years, since I read about the Philips “Earth Light” in Whole Earth Review (probably). It had an improved mix of phosphors to give a better color of light than the standard tube fluorescents available at the time. It did not last as long as promised, but it was a start. CFLs have improved tremendously over the years. Early on they were too big to fit in most lamps, took a long time to come up to full brightness, and had a generally awful color temperature.

But they lasted a long time (unlike the Earth Light) and saved electricity, and once they invented the twisted tube and miniaturized the electronic ballasts, they are small enough to fit even in my green “banker’s” desk lamp.

I now use them in almost every socket, except those on dimmers - they don’t quite have that right yet. I even have them in both outside porch lights, and they turn on even when it’s 5º F or colder.

The full-spectrum Verilux are expensive, but have a bright white light. The standard-issue CFLs are for utility use only - the recessed light in the bathroom, for example. I find the Bright White CFLs with a color temperature of about 3500K are good for reading at the dining table. The Daylight color temp (6500K) are a little too harsh for my taste.

Over the years I can remember only a few that burned out a ballast and let the smoke out of the case. Usually the lamp itself goes bad, like all fluorescents. The only other drawback I have found is that until they reach full brightness, CFLs emit a flood of infra-red, which overwhelms the TV remote control.

By: Powers

Powers — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:56:43 +0000

Dr. Shrinker, sounds like you got a bad brand of CFLs. There are good ones out there.

By: Dr. Shrinker

Dr. Shrinker — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:59:06 +0000

I replaced all the can lights in my kitchen with CFLs and frankly, they just plain SUCKED. Took 10 minutes to get up to a decent illumination level…food all had a sickly greyish tinge…and worst of all, 2 of them were burned out within a couple months.

Luckily I had saved the incandescents…not much of an energy savings if you’re replacing the damn bulbs every few months (the incandescents had lasted for several years).

By: Mitch4

Mitch4 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:39:19 +0000

For some geeky reason, I got a few LED cluster bulbs before any CbFL. They just weren’t bright enough. I’m sure they’ll get better, but for now I’m squinting in disappointment.

By: tofor

tofor — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:24:15 +0000

This law effectively is forcing people to move to a technology that is already becoming obsolete. LED lights do not have the drawbacks that CFLs do, and will slowly and properly replace the incandescent bulbs *when* and *where* they are appropriate. Maybe I can’t use CFL because I need instant-on light. Or maybe I just prefer the light of an incandescent bulb. The federal government should have *no say* in what type of lamp I choose to put in my house.