Questions – Energy Efficient CFLs

WANTING TO BE ENERGY EFFICIENT – Mike L  (Denver, CO)

I am a big believer in energy efficiency.  A while back, I switched all of my incandescent lighting to compact fluorescent (CFL) in all of my light fixtures.  That includes my track, recessed, reading lamps, and vanity lights.  I like them because I can use a 13-watt CFL bulb instead of a regular 60-watt incandescent light bulb.  However,I heard the bulbs contain mercury.  Is this true?  And if it is, do they make any that don’t contain mercury?

The Lighting Resource’s Answer:

Dear Mike,

Thank you for your question.  Indeed CFL bulbs do contain mercury…which we know to be harmful to the environment.  They do not make a fluorescent bulb that does not contain mercury.  What is recommended is that you take the bulbs to a recycling center and have them properly disposed.  But what do most people do?  Throw them in the garbage.  And that ends up in a landfill somewhere.  And then the mercury makes its way down into the earth, and into the water supply.  That’s the reality of it. 

A more environmentally-friendly way around this is to buy LED bulbs.  These contain no mercury, last nearly twice as long if not longer, and many can be easily dimmed allowing for ambience, as well as energy efficiency.  They are definitely more expensive than CFLs and can run anywhere from $15.00 to $150.00.  Unfortunately, many cannot afford this and resort to using CFLs or incandescent. 

REPLY TO MIKE L (DENVER, CO)

From Alex L (New York, NY)

Another reason to move away from the CFL bulb is because it makes people look horrible.  It’s the same type of lighting used in hospitals, lobbies, and poorly lit homes.  I would recommend you try LED lighting, and if your budget doesn’t allow for it, use incandescent or halogen bulbs and put them on a dimmer.  Just having the lights on a dimmer will save roughly 10% of your energy. Any further dimming will just save you more energy.