As I Use It....
- Okay, so I tried to 'go green,' against my better judgment. About two years ago, I replaced almost all of the incandescent lightbulbs in my house with CFLs, being told to expect lower utility bills and assisting the environment. CFLs typically cost three to five times more than incandescent bulbs, but the package claims they will last five times longer!
After about one year, some CFLs began to fail - not a good sign, after some family members(including me) were already pissed-off that they usually take awhile to attain full brightness. Then I was told one should not just dispose of the bulbs, but rather recycle them, because of a trace of toxic mercury in the manufacturing process.
After the sixth bulb died the other day, I decided to call the distributor(why did it take me so long?), and was told that to truly 'go green' and achieve full economic benefit from CFLs, a CFL-specific ballast should be installed, ie., new lighting fixtures, so in newly-built homes this would be more feasible(not to mention even more expensive), and that the bulbs are guaranteed for only two years from date-of-purchase, even if they do not outlast the incandescents that lasted 15 to 18 years(Thankfully, I've saved them!)! And imagine my surprise when the agent recited my name, address, telephone number, and date and place of purchase, when I read a series of numbers from a burned-out bulb - all evidently recorded and kept on file from my credit card transaction!
In a nutshell, CFLs will NOT last as long as incandescents; the warranty will NOT outlast the product; and you should NOT dispose of them in your regular trash(Home Depot will recycle them, while Lowe's employees tell me they accept them and then simply throw them in the trash!) Lights out!
After about one year, some CFLs began to fail - not a good sign, after some family members(including me) were already pissed-off that they usually take awhile to attain full brightness. Then I was told one should not just dispose of the bulbs, but rather recycle them, because of a trace of toxic mercury in the manufacturing process.
After the sixth bulb died the other day, I decided to call the distributor(why did it take me so long?), and was told that to truly 'go green' and achieve full economic benefit from CFLs, a CFL-specific ballast should be installed, ie., new lighting fixtures, so in newly-built homes this would be more feasible(not to mention even more expensive), and that the bulbs are guaranteed for only two years from date-of-purchase, even if they do not outlast the incandescents that lasted 15 to 18 years(Thankfully, I've saved them!)! And imagine my surprise when the agent recited my name, address, telephone number, and date and place of purchase, when I read a series of numbers from a burned-out bulb - all evidently recorded and kept on file from my credit card transaction!
In a nutshell, CFLs will NOT last as long as incandescents; the warranty will NOT outlast the product; and you should NOT dispose of them in your regular trash(Home Depot will recycle them, while Lowe's employees tell me they accept them and then simply throw them in the trash!) Lights out!
Comments