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Got a CFL?


monsoon

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^I kinda doubt it is a significant amount. I've thrown one away in the regular trash about three years ago, but that was before I knew anything about a potential for mercury. However, as long as it takes for these bulkbs to burn out, I really doubt huge amounts would build up in the landfills.

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I think that it is the responsibility of the owner to find alternative than just thowing it into the trash. Let's keep in mind that unsustainable also means very easy. However it doesn't take much effort to find a recycling center or a place that specifically takes these things.

How many of you own devices that use rechargeable batteries? These pose a much bigger threat to the environment than CFLs, yet that isn't a reason not to purchase a device with a lithium battery if you dispose of it properly. Same for the CFLs. The point is that in being green or trying to be green one should try to throw as little as possible in the garbage.

They also make CFLs these days that are all colors and the days of the finiky ballasts are gone as they are completely electronic now. I honestly don't see a reason not to buy them and they do a great deal of good in reducing energy consumption.

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this might be a subject for another topic, but where does the burden come off the government and onto the individual? if throwing away batteries (alkaline or otherwise), CFL's, or anything else can pose a serious risk to the environment, should the town offer a recycling program to help make recycling these things easier? i don't know about others, but i find it a royal pain in the butt to collect batteries and other stuff (such as old computer equipment, by that i mean dead network cards and stuff) and bring them somewhere special. i can easily recycle my cans and bottles, why shouldn't i be able to put my old batteries and computer parts out on the curb and let the town pick them up and bring them to the proper disposal location?

especially if a ban on incandescent bulbs is being considered, i think the burden of proper disposal of CFL's should be on the state or town rather than the individual. i do my part to be as green as possible but it's certainly a pain to collect up batteries/bulbs/computer waste/whatever to bring them to a special recycling center. i prefer not to have clutter in my place, considering it's quite small, and i don't have the time to make special trips to these facilities on a regular basis.

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Another benefit, especially in warm climates, is less heat is generated by CFL bulbs. This keeps your house cooler and makes your A/C run less. An incadescent bulb is often described as a heating device that puts off a little light as it's by product. If you're burning five 100 watt bulbs and replace them with five 20 watt CFL's you're keeping 400 watts or heat energy out of your house as well as saving the 400 watts towards lighting. It's a double savings.

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The environmental impacts of CFLs really just came to my attention a few weeks ago. I can't really tell yet if the impact has been blown out of proportion. In my area, there isn't a recyclng program for them. Either the city doesn't know there's a problem or considers it insignificant.

I've really been pleased with the CFLs. I've now got three lights running with them, and it is surprising the advances they've made in the past few years, at least in the light quality.

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I have them in the ceiling cans in my kitchen and living room. I have vaulted ceilings so it's a b*tch to change the bulbs, so I bought these thinking they'd last what, 5-8 years. A year later, two are dead, at $5+ each. The old bulbs I didn't replace are still burning after 4 years in my apartment. :rolleyes:
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Hmmm, no one has popped in yet to blame the early failures on wiring and/or spikes in amperage. I've seen this behavior in regular bulbs on certain outlets in houses that have wiring issues, my assumption would be that and not the fault of the bulb.

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Hmmm, no one has popped in yet to blame the early failures on wiring and/or spikes in amperage. I've seen this behavior in regular bulbs on certain outlets in houses that have wiring issues, my assumption would be that and not the fault of the bulb.
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Hmmm, no one has popped in yet to blame the early failures on wiring and/or spikes in amperage. I've seen this behavior in regular bulbs on certain outlets in houses that have wiring issues, my assumption would be that and not the fault of the bulb.
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  • 2 months later...

Well, I have just started converting my house over (it will take a few months, as I have a strict budget to follow for household expenses!) I purchased a 12 pack of 13W CFL indoor/outdoor to replace my 60W bulbs in the house. Purchase price was only $26.98 for the case. (for you less than mathmatically inclined, that equals to just shy of $2.25 per bulb. Life span says 7 years, but since I'm single I'm expecting longer especially in the less used areas of the house.) The expensive jobs will be for the light bars in the bathrooms, $9.98 for 2 bulbs to match the style!! Of course, I'll be going from 8-60W to 8-15W.

I'm excited! :thumbsup:

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Yeah, I have been converting over since buying our house nearly two years ago, and recently someone was telling me about the disposal problems with mercury and that you must drop them off at special facilities which are not common. Was wondering if recycling centers would suffice, anyway, I haven't had any of mine go bad yet, so moot so far, but wanted to post that I have also heard this.
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i know that Home Depot was handing out CFL's to everyone at the exit's on Earth Day. their website saud that they gave out over 1 million that day! i actually encourage shopping there since they are very earth friendly.

on to the bathroom lightbars. they do make bulbs the same size and shape of a typical bathroom vanity bulb. and they don't have that sqiggly look to them. they look like normal buls(although stricktly "soft-light"). although, at 4-5 bucks a pop, i'm just slowly replacing the 8 i have as they burn out. but when i'm done i will have converted a row of 480 watts to a row of 72 watts!

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i know that Home Depot was handing out CFL's to everyone at the exit's on Earth Day. their website saud that they gave out over 1 million that day! i actually encourage shopping there since they are very earth friendly.
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I've been gradually changing over to CFL bulbs as my old incandescents burn out (a 2-year project so far... those old bulbs are lasting longer than I'd expected). Mostly, it's been taking an old bulb from inside and using it to replace the outside light, and then putting the new CFL inside. My outside light is on a timed switch, and won't work with a CFL (unsure why, but I think the low draw makes the switch think the bulb is blown, which shuts the timer off).

One thing that I've struggled to find is a CFL replacement for the 40W candelabra bulbs in my kitchen fixture. I've got 5 bulbs in there and use the light every day. The switch from running it on 200W to, let's estimate... 50W?, would make a big difference.

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