Adventures in Lighting

Curiously Green is an exclusive weekly Earth 911 series showcasing the adventures of an environmental dunce as he transforms himself into an eco-guru. This week Tony, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, “sees the light” and replaces his old bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.

How many environmentally challenged guys does it take to change a light bulb?

Well, in my case, only one, but it took me several years. I still remember my first experience with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) years ago—that outrageously expensive bulb buzzed and flickered to life and offered up a harsh, astringent light that still burns my inner eye to this day.

Back in those days, CFLs were marketed mainly as long-life bulbs, ones you’d grudgingly live with so that you wouldn’t have to risk your life tip-toeing on an eight-foot ladder to reach that sadistically placed light bulb.

But CFLs have come a long way since the turn of the century, and today they’re widely recognized as clean, efficient, and pleasant, and cost-effective sources of light. They’re widely available and quite inexpensive—dirt cheap even, if you consider their long-term cost of ownership vs. ordinary bulbs.

After reading so many articles online about the virtues of CFLs, I decided to give the twisty little devils another try.

The Big Switch

I decided to test the waters by replacing a 65-watt recessed light in my foyer. I picked up a 17-watt “daylight” floodlight bulb at a local home center and installed it. It was like 2000 all over again. Seriously, the light was so harsh and unnatural—so unlike daylight—that it seemed like a flying saucer beaming me up or something.

So I hit the Web again for more research and learned that CFL bulbs come in various color temperatures. The “daylight” bulb I got was a 6500K unit, which gives off the bluest light. Surely a lower light temperature would be to my liking.

And so it was. I tried a 3000K “soft white” bulb and it looked great! In fact, once the bulb warmed up it cast a natural, soft yellow light that was nearly indistinguishable from the light of an old-school Edison bulb. Between the 3000K and 6500K bulbs were 5000K “bright white” units, but I didn’t try them.

In all, I changed 23 bulbs ranging from 40 to 100 Watts and in several shapes and sizes. I was especially happy to find some cool-looking globe lights for the bathrooms.

My total potential wattage went from 1,070 down to 253, less than a quarter of what it used to be. If I turned on every bulb at once I’d be curious but certainly not green, although it’s nice to know that the potential energy savings are real and significant.

I expect the bulbs to pay for themselves within two years. Most break-even quotes specify shorter horizons, but I don’t use many of them too often.

Living with CFL Bulbs

CFLs and incandescent bulbs work according to different principles, so naturally, there are a few differences to get accustomed to. For example, most CFLs aren’t dimmable. Although I’ve read that dimmable CFL bulbs are just now coming to market, I haven’t seen any personally.

Also, be aware that most CFLs are rather dim when they’re first turned on and gradually warm up to maximum intensity over two to three minutes. This “feature” was actually a huge plus for me: my eyes used to dread the sudden shock of turning on the bathroom light in the middle of the night, so I appreciate this “sunrise” effect.

CFLs are often quoted as having long lives of about 10,000 hours, but that largely depends on how they’re used. Not letting them warm up fully tends to stress their onboard electronic ballasts, leading to lifetimes that are pretty close to those of incandescent bulbs. For this reason, I tend to keep the lights off for quick trips to the bathroom.

Recycling Bulbs

Having changed out nearly all my bulbs, I didn’t want to immediately negate their environmental benefit by throwing my old bulbs in the trash. Incandescent bulbs contain lead and other hazardous materials, so the landfill was a definite no-no. Most municipal recycling programs consider them contaminants and therefore unacceptable.

Luckily, I found that my local IKEA accepts incandescent bulbs for recycling, so I dropped off the whole bunch. Even CFLs need special care when they reach the end of their usefulness. They contain mercury, which is nasty stuff that has its own recycling requirements.

I expect CFL bulbs to be more easily recycled in the coming years, as the first wave of early adopters approach the end-of-life. Use Earth 911’s nifty recycle search to find places in your area that accept both types of bulb for recycling or proper disposal.

Was It Worth It?

Overall, I’m really glad I overcame my initial shock. Changing the bulbs was very easy to do, they look great, they produce far less heat (which should help big time come summer) and I can live peacefully with their quirks. As time passes, expect CFLs to be cleaner, more efficient and available for just about every application.