Much ado is made these days about compact flourescent light bulbs. They are said to last eight to fifteen times as long as incandescent bulbs (the non-eco friendly kind you grew up with) and use much less power, producing significantly less of the greenhouse gases than the incandescents put into the air. They also only cost two to three times more than incandescents, making them more cost effective.
Ever wanting to do the “green” thing, I talked my husband into replacing the incandescents in the two most-used rooms in our 
house–the family room and master bathroom–with CFLs. Jerry dutifully went to Lowes and bought the required number, then came home and changed out the bulbs.
The first obstacle was getting used to that strange spiral shape. But that only took a couple of weeks, and we began to appreciate the brightness of the bulbs. However, at about the same time, one of the brand new bulbs in the family room went out. After a few days, we gave up on it and replaced it with yet another bulb. A few weeks later, yet another one went out. This time we just rolled our eyes and sighed and decided to leave it alone. There were three other bulbs in the fixture, giving plenty of light, so a fourth wasn’t really necessary.
It flickered on and off for a few more weeks, and ever since has remained dark.
Okay, so there’s a dud in every group. Still, that was two in just the first few weeks. Having gotten the impression they would last half a lifetime, we were a bit disappointed.
Then I learned that CFLs were considered hazardous waste because they contained mercury. Thankfully, we hadn’t thrown the other dud in the trash–yet. But I began to question the “greenness” of CFLs. I’m not happy with the mercury in my teeth; why would I want to risk putting more into my environment?
Ed Begley, Jr., esteemed actor and author of Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life
He does have a point, but I’m still not convinced CFLs should be considered the green “savior” when it comes to lighting.
Then there are the light emitting diode bulbs, or LEDs. They last even longer than the CFLs, contain no mercury, and use even less power than the compact flourescent bulbs. Last year, Jerry and I bought mini LED flashlights that we could carry on our person for emergencies. If you’ve never tried one, you would be amazed at the amount of light those tiny little bulbs put out!
The major disadvantage of the LEDs is cost. For a comparable $2.00 incandescent bulb, you pay twelve times that for an LED. However, considering the fact that they may last at least twenty times longer, I would consider it a good investment.
So we come to the big question: is it really worth replacing incandescent bulbs with the newer, “greener” choices? In my opinion, the answer is a big resounding “YES”. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent bulb with a compact flourescent bulb, the energy saved would be enough to light up a city of 1.5 million people. Obviously, for light emitting diode bulbs the amount of energy saved would be even higher.
And lower energy production means less air pollution. Which means an increased chance of better health for you, me and the birds.
Our family’s goal is to be happy with the CFL’s already installed, but to begin to change incandescent bulbs to LEDs as they go out. How about you? CFL or LED?
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