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Lighting
Your Home
With Fluorescent Bulbs |
Brighten things up with Compact fluorescent lights.
Their claim to fame: Compact fluorescent bulbs use between 65 and 75 per cent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than conventional bulbs.
How they work: Conventional incandescent bulbs produce light by heating an interior filament, causing it to glow; the heat, unfortunately, is excess energy.
Compact fluorescent lights work differently. They contain a gas that emits ultraviolet light when exposed to electricity. A white coating inside the bulb then changes the UV light into visible light. A 60-watt incandescent bulb can therefore be replaced by a 15-watt compact fluorescent bulb, saving you $30 to $50 over the bulb's life.
Upside: Technology has moved a long way in the last couple of years. The flickering that early compact fluorescents produced has pretty much been eliminated. The bulbs come in different
colors -- red and green made an appearance over the holidays -- and many emit a warm rather than cold white light. They're not as large as they used to be, so they're less likely to protrude from a lamp.
You can also find "dimmable" compact fluorescents (don't use a compact fluorescent in a "dimmable" light fixture unless the package clearly states the bulb can dim). Their long life makes them ideal for hard-to-reach light fixtures, and you can't beat the energy savings, which far exceed the higher cost of buying compact fluorescents.
Downside: The coil shape won't fit lampshades designed to clip onto conventional bulbs. Also, some fluorescent bulbs may seem dim for a few seconds right after you turn them on.
Check their lowest operating temperature before putting them outside in winter.
Because compact fluorescents use infrared light, they can (rarely) interfere with electronic devices such as televisions or wireless telephones: try moving the light fixture away from the device or plugging it into a different outlet.
Compact fluorescent bulbs contain a small amount of mercury. It's extremely unlikely this will spill, even if the bulb is broken, but take care when disposing them. Manufacturers urge against tossing them in with regular household garbage; however, some cities' hazardous waste dropoffs don't accept them.
Bottom line: Available for $3.50 to $10, compact fluorescent light bulbs can save you energy, money and time over their long lifespan.
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NOTE: The comments contained on this
web site are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal
advice.
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