I’ve switched out a good number of bulbs in my house for compact fluorescents — this way I don’t get as upset when a light is left on in an empty room. For hours. At 15 watts for the light of a 60-watt incandescent, it made sense, especially as the bulbs are so much less expensive.
I used to hate the things because they gave off a harsh light, they flickered, and they hummed. No longer. And it turns out I’m not the only one to have noticed. From Real Tech News comes a list of 10 reasons to switch.
1. If every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people.
5. The single greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States is power plants–half our electricity comes from coal plants. One bulb swapped out: enough electricity saved to turn off two entire power plants–or skip building the next two.
The Fray
gnomic says:
I wish I could get my wife to adopt more of them. She hates the light color and the initial flicker. I hate that many of them don’t quite fit in tight spaces, such as bulds that have enclosures. I have won the battle where its difficult to change the bulbs after making her help me wind a ladder up our 3 stories to change a 16ft bulb. But for now, I’m waiting on the next generation of bulbs and giving the dozen or so CFLs to friends that promise to use them.
doobes says:
I’ve been using them for quite some time in the places that I can’t get my family to turns the lights off. Other than the slight delay that occurs when you turn them on, we’ve been happy. And I’m not complaining about 18 watts vs 75 watts in power consumption. I realize this pales in comparison with the AC running 10 months a year (I live outside New Orleans), but every bit helps. I also like that they last a LOT longer than standard incandescents. That many fewer times I’ve got to get the ladder to change the bulb in the closet ;>
cheers
chris