There is no question that we should be using compact fluorescent bulbs instead of regular incandescents. The energy saving benefits are clear. What isn't as clear, and probably why some people still stick to using incandescent bulbs, is how do you go about picking a compact fluorescent that isn't going to make your house loook like it is the inside of a space ship with that weird blue glow. I have been down that path myself and after installing a set of 'daylight' bulbs throughout the house I found myself returning them the very next day. Funny thing is, the exact same set of bulbs were in the return bin when I returned mine so it seems that the issue is a common one. So what do you need to know?
Image via Schodts Flickr
Basically, it comes down to two things, color temperature and color rendering index.
When it comes to color temperature, an incandescent lamp's color is usually between 2700-3000 degrees Kelvin, or 2700K to 3000K for short. This is the range you want to shoot for when you buy a fluorescent lamp. The higher the number, the cooler (towards blue) the light which explains my alien space ship situation. This information should be available on the box.
When we talk about color rendering index, this is the number that describes how accurately colors are perceived. 100 is the highest score. The higher the number, the higher the quality of light. Crappy high pressure sodium lamps (the orange lights you see in parking lots) can have a CRI as low as 25, what you want would have a CRI of 80 or above. Again, these numbers might be printed right on the box, but if they're not, GE, Philips, or Sylvania should have the lamp catalogs to figure out the model number for the compact fluorescent you want.
Or, if you don't want to be bothered with determining color temperatures or color rendering indexes, it seems you can't go wrong with the n:vision soft white bulb.
We use the n:vision bulbs throughout our house and they have been an easy transition from incandescent. Mostly the 60w equivalents but we have a couple of the 3-way 150w equivalents also.
view bordjon's profile
"There is no question that we should be using compact fluorescent bulbs"
Actually, yes there is a question. In fact, we should NOT be using CFL bulbs because of the hazardous nature of these bulbs. They contain mercury which is a neurotoxin.
In a perfect world everything would be fine, because we would never ever break one of these toxic time bombs. In the real world, we have to know that hundreds will be broken in the home, while hundreds of thousands will be broken in the trash (and possibly recycling) systems. While the amount of mercury in a single bulb is very small, the millions upon millions of bulbs that will be created creates an enormous problem of what to do with the resultant mercury. Most places do not have a recycling program and most people will just toss old bulbs in the trash where the mercury in what will assuredly become broken bulbs will eventually seep into the ground water. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Those who initially support CFL bulbs will quite soon reverse their positions and deny ever proposing the use of this toxic element in our home.
What we need are cheaper LED light bulbs. If all the power that is behind CFLs would shift to support LEDs, we would be much better off.
view BigD's profile
While it is true that CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury, their lower power usage results in lower total environmental mercury emissions because most of our electricity comes from coal. An incandescent light bulb causes more than twice as much mercury to enter the environment just because it uses more energy to operate over its life span. Additionally, the mercury in a CFL can be safely captured and recycled for more easily than that emitted from coal fired power plants
I agree that LEDs are the way to go eventually, but in the interim don't let fear of the mercury in CFLs prevent you from switching to more energy efficient lighting now.
Here's an interesting article about CFLs and mercury that might further allay your enviroguilt.
view brianhatch's profile