Seven Problems With Cfls, And Other Energy Efficient Light Bulb Alternatives

Seven Problems With Cfls, And Other Energy Efficient Light Bulb Alternatives

Compact well-lit lamps ( CFLs ) are the light bulb of choice for saving energy and money on utilities. No one doubts that CFLs use three or four times less energy than typic bulbs, and many people have significantly reduced their electric bills by switching to them.
But there are seven situations where CFLs might not be the best option.
1. CFLs Could INCREASE Mercury Emissions
One of the biggest reasons to buy CFLs is that by using less energy, they reduce mercury emissions from dynamism plants. However, CFLs contain small amounts of mercury, a highly toxic poison.
By law, used CFLs must either be recycled or taken to an approved hazardous waste disposal site. Unfortunately, about three out of four CFLs still end up in landfills.
One report by Yale University researchers wound up that, depending on where you live, CFLs may actually increase the total amount of mercury released into the environment. As power plants use different fuel sources, locations with abstergent fuels could release less mercury. Meanwhile, in places with few recycling options, mercury leaked into the soil and water from CFLs tossed into landfills could actually front the amount saved by using less potential.
Many hardware stores and local disposal sites now accept CFLs for recycling, and some companies sell pre - paid shipping boxes addressed to recycling plants.
2. CFLs Could Endanger Small Children
Although the amount of mercury in a CFL is much less than that in a can of tuna, the U. S. EPA recommends specific steps to follow for cleanup. These steps insert airing out the room for 15 chronology, putting all garbage and cleaning materials into a sealed container, and avoiding brooms or vacuum cleaners, which might stir mercury into the air.
In addition, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection recommends disposing of the carpet, rug or bedspread on which a CFL break. It also suggests that CFLs might not be opportune in lodgings used by infants, small children or pregnant women, who are more susceptible to mercury poisoning.
3. CFLs Don’t Dim
Many homes contain dimmer switches, which save energy by reducing the amount of virtue needed for lighting. But most CFLs do not work on dimmers, and using them may actually damage this sympathetic of protuberance.
Some CFLs are made to work on dimmer switches, but they are more relevant and they don ' t dim smoothly.
4. CFLs Can’t Stand the Cold
CFLs don ' t work well in cold weather. They take a long time to perspiring up to full effectiveness in garages, porches and outdoor light fixtures. CFLs are often labeled with their lowest operating temperature, and some are made especially for cold locations.
CFLs may save less energy in cold climates through they don ' t produce heat. According to a study by the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology, houses with only five CFLs replacing incandescent bulbs will have an increase in energy costs for heating. Although they do have a positive effect on total energy use throughout the year, lighting savings with CFLs are reduced since of the extra amount of faculty needed for heating.
5. CFLs Don ' t Survey Natural
Fluorescent lights normally give off melancholy - tinted “cool” light, while incandescent bulbs give off a pale “warm” light. Some people may not equivalent the storeroom taction of CFL bulbs, but manufacturers now offer CFLs in a radius of colors from broiling to cool.
CFLs also don ' t show objects in their true colors. Light bulbs are graded by their color - enumeration inventory ( CRI ), with a grade of 100 being the color an entity appears in daylight. Incandescent bulbs have a CRI near 100, but CFLs are ofttimes graded around 85.
6. CFLs Can Cause Skin Problems
All CFLs give off some ultraviolet light. Even healthy people should avoid too much exposure to UV, but for those who are photo - averse, akin as Lupus patients, it can generate a severe skin adventurous.
To prevent corresponding problems, the U. K. Health Protection Agency recommends using only CFLs with an deeper layer of glass tarpaulin the twisty tubes inside. Discrepant, the study recommends not using CFL bulbs in rendering lamps or other light fixtures any closer than one extreme away for more than one opening.
7. CFLs Give Off EMFs
Like cell phones and laptops, CFLs give off energetic and vigorous fields ( EMFs ). Many studies have been done on the health effects of EMFs, and most report that the levels liable off by electronics, wireless networks and aptitude merchandise are safe.
No research has shown that EMFs from CFLs have an adverse impact on the majority of people. However, Professor Magda Havas, of Trent University in Toronto, connects CFLs with migraine headaches, burning eyes, digestive problems, heart palpitations, proof system problems, diabetes and even multiple sclerosis.
These symptoms, called Electrical Hypersensitivity ( EHS ), may affect about three percent of the population.
Alternatives to CFLs
In situations where CFLs don ' t make sense, there are alternatives. Although still treasured, light - emitting diode ( LED ) bulbs can be start up in some standard bulb shapes. LED bulbs don ' t yet give off much light, but manufacturers are oppressive at work to improve their brightness.
LED bulbs contain no mercury and they are about as efficient as CFLs. They have the unrealized to become even more efficient as LED technology improves.
Energy Saver Halogen Bulbs
Some manufacturers are marketing energy saver halogen bulbs, which are about 25 to 30 percent more efficient than standard bulbs. Halogen technology is an choice epic of incandescent lighting.
Halogen bulbs cost more than regular bulbs but they last longer. They need to be handled more carefully due to they get very hot, and they should not be used if the outward glass coating is put away.
Energy saver halogen bulbs give off a bright, clear light. They are fully dimmable, contain no mercury, don ' t flicker and don ' t give off EMFs.
Substituting a 40 - watt energy saver halogen bulb for a 60 - watt incandescent bulb gives the twin amount of light for one - third less energy. Energy saver halogen bulbs would be a good alternative to CFLs, at original until LED technology improves.