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What Is CFL and Why Should You Have It?
Lately there has been a lot of talk about switching your incandescent light bulb over to CFL. However, many people are asking if that is a good switch, so here is some information about compact fluorescent lamps and how they can help you and the environment.
- When compared with incandescent light, the CFL gives off the same amount of light but uses less power, lasts longer but does cost more.
- Studies have found that a CFL can save $30 in electricity over its life.
- CFL lights save 2,000 times their own weight in green house gases.
The average lifespan of a CFL is roughly eight to 15 times longer than that of an incandescent light bulb. Overall, the CFL lifespan is rated as between 6,000 and 15,000 hours. Typical incandescent light bulbs only have a lifespan of about 750 to 1,000 hours at most. With reduced light output though, some incandescent light bulbs can last as much as 20,000 hours.
On average, CFL lights use 20 to 33 percent less power than incandescent lights. This is important because across the United States , nine percent of energy usage in a home is for lighting.
It is estimated that as CFL lights become more used across the world, they could save seven percent in household energy use alone.
It should be noted that CFL lights do contain mercury. This means you cannot simply throw a CFL into the garbage, but instead have to dispose of it properly at a licensed facility. By doing this, you can prevent the CFL from going into a landfill where the mercury will leak out and contaminate the soil and the water.
Many critics of the CFL cite this as a reason not to use the lights, but the lights themselves save a lot of energy and power, and that offsets the fact that they use mercury.
No matter how you feel about the lights, you will have to eventually change over. Incandescent bulbs are being phased out in the United States between now and 2020. In Canada , the incandescent light bulb will be phased out by 2012 across the country. This means that in the next two years, you will have to buy CFL lights, which are sold nearly everywhere. While they may be more expensive, they do save money in the long run and they help the environment.