CFLs … Going the Way of Audio CDs?

Ever since 1995 when Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFLs) first came to the consumer marketplace, many of us have had a love / hate relationship with these strange bulbs that resemble a pig’s tail.  For sure, they are more energy efficient than their incandescent older siblings but it took some time to get used to some of the quirks in the technology.  CFLs take several seconds to reach maximum brightness when turned on.  In very cold locations, like barns and garages, cold winter temperatures exacerbate this delay. 

Many find the light output very harsh.  Some of the early bulbs could not be dimmed and the color temperature was toward the blue side rather than the red softer glow of the traditional incandescent lights.  Also, there remains the disposal issue. CFL lamps require small amounts of mercury to operate.

The newest kid on the block is the LED lamp (Light Emitting Diode.)  These LED lamps are extremely efficient, have tremendous service life, and come in various color temperatures.  Even better, they continue to come down in price.  They can even help save on cooling in the summer months as they give off very little heat.

About the only real downside is the availability of very bright bulbs.  I am sure that this will soon be addressed, but I have yet to find a 200 watt equivalent for the main light in my kitchen.

Just last week, General Electric announced that they are phasing out the manufacture and sale of CFLs and concentrating on LED technology.  For GE, one of the world’s largest companies, to make this move should provide a real boost to the advancement of LED technology and continue to force prices down.  It also might mean the end of CFLs.

Many of us who are customers of Duke Energy have a way to buy LEDs very inexpensively.  Recently the company sent an email to customers offering very deep discounts on the purchase of various types of LED lamps.  If you have not taken advantageof this offer, you may wish to check it out.    There you will find many special sizes.  They even have some lamps for candelabra chandeliers.

There has never been a better time to replace the lamps in your house with LED technology.  It will pay for itself in a short time.

LED Home Lighting Not Far Off

Energy conservation, carbon footprints and all things green have taken on a higher priority recently. Many of us are aware of the need to change our behavior to assure future generations a sustainable environment, but the rapid changes in technologies often leave us confused and uncertain how to respond. One of the areas that has been getting a lot of attention is lighting. Lighting for homes, offices and businesses accounts for a substantial amount of our electrical generating capacity and thus our use of natural resources and, in many cases, increased carbon emissions.

With all the attention being given to this problem, it is no surprise that there has been a steep rise in the acceptance of compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) over Edison’s incandescent bulb. Perhaps you received some discount coupons in the mail from Duke Energy offering steep discounts for CFLs. They have been around for several years and do save energy. Some down sides are the light output seems harsh to many and they take a minute or two to reach full brightness when first switched on. Perhaps more disturbing is that each bulb has a tiny amount of mercury. This makes the disposal of CFLs problematic. Don’t just put them out for the Rumpke guy to take away.

There is a whole new generation of lighting now becoming available based on LED technology. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. LEDs were first developed in the 1920s, but their use as a lighting source only became popular in the 1960s when they began to be used as indicator lights on stereos and other electronic devices. Beginning in the 1990s we saw applications such as automobile tail lights and even Christmas tree lights. They were slow to be developed into practical and affordable products for home and office lighting. That is changing quickly.

There are several companies who have introduced replacement lamps for home use in lamps, ceiling fixtures and other applications based on LED technology. The benefits are outstanding. LEDs use a fraction of energy than used by even the best CFL, they have no mercury and they will last years. The bad news is that they are still very expensive with a LED equivalent of a 60 watt incandescent bulb priced at about $40.

When CFLs first hit the market, they were pricey but as consumer acceptance increased the price dropped. Expect the same to happen with LEDs. It may well not be practical for many of us to run out and replace all our home lighting with LEDs right now, but I think it is a safe bet to expect that within five years LEDs will be an affordable and environmentally prudent choice.

A Place To Recycle CLF's

A while back I discussed the need to be careful when disposing of electonic "trash." The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District emailed today to let me know that ALL Home Depot stores now accept used Compact Fluorescent Lights (CLF’s) for recycling!

Here are the details excerpted from a press release.

The Home Depot®, launched a national in-store, consumer compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling program at all 1,973 The Home Depot locations. This free offers customers additional options for making environmentally conscious decisions from purchase to disposal. The Home Depot Canada launched a CFL recycling program in November, 2007.
At each The Home Depot store, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk. The bulbs will then be managed responsibly by an environmental management company who will coordinate CFL packaging, transportation and recycling to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance.