Energy Efficient Lightbulbs: Being Green Without Looking Green
What kind of light bulbs are you using in your house?
The last time I was at the store buying light bulbs I was confused by the vast array of choices. There was literally an entire aisle of light bulbs. I had no idea what I wanted or what the differences are between the various types. I want a nice warm glowing light. And while I am all for saving energy, the environment, and puppies, I hate the greenish cast of some florescent lights I have tried. The odd shape puts me off for some applications. The buzzing noise is somewhat annoying, though I have children who adequately cover that up for me.
It seems that I am not alone.
In a recent article in the NY Times, a panel of staff members from the Times tested and rated 21 different light bulbs that were provided by various manufacturers. Almost all of them were rated as unacceptable.
There were a few that got good marks from the reviewers:
The n:vision TCP Home Soft White, for example, was deemed “a warm pleasant light.” The TCP Spring Light/Soft White was “almost warmer than incandescent,” one person said. And the MaxLite SpiraMax was generally liked, considered “pretty good” and “clean.”
One thing that I did not know until reading this article is that compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain mercury and can not just be thrown away with your regular garbage. They need to be properly recycled. I wonder if I am alone in my appalling lack of knowledge in this area or if this is something that needs to be addressed better. The Energy Star website answers the questions of disposal and what to do if you should break a CFLs.
Most of the light bulbs in my house have long ago been replaced by fluorescent bulbs. The few lone remaining incandescent bulbs are in places where the bulb shows. But now that there are new bulbs that have the tell tale fluorescent coil hidden in an outer case, I really have no excuse.
And it seems we had all better just get used to it.
After more than eight months of intense deliberations between Congress and bulb manufacturers, environmental groups and other parties, a law that requires light bulbs to become more energy efficient became part of the energy bill that President Bush signed into law on Dec. 19.
Over a three-year period beginning in 2012, all new bulbs will have to use 25 percent to 30 percent less energy for the same light output as today’s typical incandescent bulbs.
Why wait until 2012? Go buy your CFLs now and break yourself in slowly.
