CFL bulbs - why should I use them?

[mmb1996]

Unless you have a ton of lights, it shouldn't cost you $100 to replace all your bulbs. The CFL will save you quite a bit of money. We dropped our electricity bill by about 30% after changing all the bulbs. You can buy them at hardware stores in contractor packs for about $1.00 a piece. I did it over time. There is no need to waste perfectly good light bulbs. They also last a very long time.

Here is the math. A typical 40 watt light bulb uses the same amount of electricity as an average refrigerator. So, if you have 10 light bulbs burning in your house right now, it's like having 10 refrigerators plugged it. That is why California passed a law to make incondecent bulbs illegal in a few years. If you had the same 10 CFL bulb's that were rated at the same lumens as a 40 watt incondecent bulb, you'd be burning the same as (1) 60 watt light bulb, or a refridgerator and a half.

Hope that helps. It really is worth the extra upfront cost, plus a CFL bulb will usually last around 2-3 years. Some will last longer. The killer for the CFL bulb is turning the off and on. We have CFL's in our bathroom, which has an automatic motion sensor that really doesn't work that well. The bulbs in there only last about a year and a half. On the other hand, the bulbs that are in the kitchen I have yet to replace. It's been about 4 years already.

And just in case you are wondering, I think going "green" is a waste of good brain cells. Saving money? Now that's a different story.

A light bulb and a refrigerator dont use the same amount of electricity, if they did it I would be using candlelight.

[meems]

Given the hazards to the environment if they end up in landfill & break..I mean, you KNOW many will not be disposed of properly! I think it's safer for the environment to use more electricity with reg bulbs than it is to chance poisoning our land/water!

[PirateQueen]

I live in the south where most of our energy is derived from coal fired plants supplied by mountaintop clearing coal mining companies. Old plants=lots of air pollution. Mountaintop clearing=hazardous toxins released into the water supply. It's a no win situation because either way, you're contributing to some pollution.