why might they disagree?
Lee K's information is outdated. The new energy efficient bulb will be LED bulbs. CLF will be on its way out.
Why LED? more energy to light output. less heat generated. less uv and infrared. you can turn it on/off repeatedly without affecting it's life span.
They cost the consumer more per bulb and they only save a small amount of energy in terms of dollars saved to the consumer. Some of this is offset by the longer lifespan. However, what does happen is that the collective use of CFL's by many consumers reduces the peak load on the grid enough that the utilities can avoid or postpone investing in new power generation plants which would cost hundreds of millions. Basically a few dollars are coming out of each consumers pockets to save the utilities hundreds of millions of dollars.
As to the environmental impact of CFL's, there's very little mercury in the CFL's and it's elemental mercury that is not bioavailable but if the bulbs are buried in anaerobic environments such as a landfill, the anaerobic microbes would transform the mercury into Methyl Mercury which is bio-available and bio-accumulates in the food chain. The CFL's themselves are not dangerously toxic but millions of them in landfills can become dangerously toxic. They are not disposed of like nuclear wastes, the bulbs are mostly broken in the atmosphere so the mercury vapors do not get trapped in an anaerobic environment and this requires a separate collection path for the spent bulbs.
On a side note, in cold climates like Canada, the wasted energy of an incandescent bulb goes into heating the room so there is no actual energy savings with the energy efficient light bulb no matter how efficient they are. The only difference is shifting the energy consumption from the electricity to whatever the furnace runs on. The CFL's are not really as green as people think they are but they do help transfer money from consumers to the utilities and the bulb manufacturers.
Energy efficient light bulbs use less electricity which means your energy bill would be lower however when turning on energy saving lights they do tend to flicker and to some people it can be pretty freaky and make them feel like there being haunted or something,
some people prefer the old fashioned bulbs because they fit better in to there lamp without the top of the bulb poking out of the lamp shade
Big is correct. My man works at Batteries Plus. and is also into being green. I have seen the differences in bulbs. you might spend a few more dollars getting that bulb. but it can last you longer, in the long run. and by not having to change the bulb as often, means less in the landfill and less ofter to replace.
Energy efficient ones save electricity, save money and are better for the environment Anyone who disagrees is just plain stupid and wouldn't have a real reason
They are great for energy efficiency but are seriously bad for the environment. They have highly toxic mercury in them and need disposed of like nuclear waste when they finally stop working. The US government has a long page of what to do if you accidentally break one. Just google it on youtube.
why might someone agree to only using energy efficient light bulbs?
why might they disagree?
