How Much Do Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Really Cost?

I have used CFL bulbs for over 20 years first in Europe and now in NA. I am a little surprised that nobody (unless I skipped over a reply) has any concern about the energy used to produce the CFL bulbs. Furthermore, the energy used for the packaging (garbage & energy use) is way higher. Net Net we might be better off with these bulbs but it is not as simple as comparing wattage and lumens. Especially if these bulbs do not last as long as promised. For a large part we might only export energy use to other juristictions (China) with worse environmental standards. So overall it’s not necessary all better for the environment.
Only my 2 cents.

@KSays:

There is no issue AT ALL, physically. There is 0% chance of “harm.” You might notice a slightly different shade of colour, is the only thing. Keep your eyes open for sales, ask around, call the power company if they have any plans/deals going on, &c.

LED bulbs are now in the $40 range and are usually not recommended for anything more than hallways, etc., so the pay payoff could be years and years for something used so rarely. I work at a utility – I always recommend customers try out a few lights before replacing the bunch, and different brands appear to have different qualities of light. However I have seen dramatic changes from CFLs when customers are committed…

Addendum. Spectra from various lighting sources are shown here.

Note the huge spikes in the emissions spectra of CFLs, despite attempts to “clean up” the light with various phosphorescent coatings.

I had one light fixture that had been blowing bulbs for years. When I switched to CFL it smoked and made a frying sound. I removed the light fixture and found a burned and loose wire,came from the factory that way. Replaced the fixture and no more problems.

We switched over almost all the bulbs in the house to CFL’s a few months ago. When we had a mix of bulb types, I didn’t like the CFL’s as much (the light is blue-ish by comparison) but now that there aren’t many incandescents to compare it with, I’ve come to like it. Ours brighten within a minute, and when fully lit, the room is brighter than it was before.

For disposal – our city says if you can’t get the CFL’s to a haz-mat site, then wrap burnt out CFL’s in two plastic bags and put them in the trash. I was on a real tear on this topic a couple weeks ago because at a Green City festival, one table was handing out CFL’s for free, and another was telling us we could not dispose of them safely!

The woman from the city solid waste department said the best thing is to begin bugging manufacturers and retailers to take them back, similar to how computer companies are now starting to take back old computers. With enough consumer pressure, the manufacturers and retailers will set up mechanisms for disposing of CFLs safely.

I tried those CFLs, but the light that comes from them is so UGLY

Pay close attention to the color temp of the bulbs on the package. You’ll want something in the 2500-3000K range of color temp, which will look most like an incandescent light. Values above that can look rather blue and yeah, kinda ugly.

Actually the reason ‘disabled’ autistic people can’t stand fluorescent light is because they can actually see the flickering. Even compact fluorescents eventually get old and start flickering.

“Normal” people see this too, it affects them by screwing with their mood and productivity (but they don’t consciously realize this). Compact fluorescents also produce enough ultraviolet to degrade plastic near them and fade colors.

Not to mention that most CFL are highly vulnerable to dirty power and so they just break (anything with electronic ballast), so they do not actually last nearly as long in practice as rated in some houses. And when they break often the glass gets cracked by the final arc that does them in releasing some mercury.

CFLs are really bad. I came home one day and one was flickering like Doom, a burnt plastic smell was in the air, and after turning it off and removing the bulb the plastic was melted. I have NEVER felt danger of my house burning down because of an incandescent bulb.

I replaced all my regular bulbs with CFL and have gradually gotten as many family members in different households to do the same. My sister is VERY happy not to have to change bulbs as often. And everybody is happy about the money savings. For me the only little trick I had to learn was that my ceiling fan has a dimmer, and you have to get special CFL’s for dimmers. A little harder to find but worth it.

I agree with ‘autistic’

The fact is that CFL bulbs put out fluorescent light. Not incandescent light. Fluorescent light truly looks like crap in my home.

It is not warm nor inviting. It has a sterile feeling to it.

I dislike it very much.

I’m working my way through converting the fixtures in our new apartment to CFLs. Most of our lamps already have them. My longest lasting bulbs so far were installed nearly 8 years ago when I moved to my first apartment in college and have been used as the primary light in my bedroom for those 8 years! Given expensive New England energy prices, I figure those two bulbs have saved me at least $156 so far.

For those of us who can see the steady flicker of fluorescents, CFL or otherwise there is no greater torture than being trapped indoors in what amounts to a disco with dozens to hundreds of strobe lights going all the time.

Think living permanent stop motion photography any time you are indoors.

Besides the flicker the light is sharp and gives severe head aches to those with good eye sight over the whole spectrum. I’m told its not as bad if you wear glasses because the frames block the peripheral vision which controls the autonomic light level adjustment in the eyes.

Please people try to think before you tell me what I can or Can not see.

I would spend far more on head ache meds than I would save on electric bills.

We just switched all the bulbs im our house to CFL’s… It’s a good sized house, and our electrcity bill is about $300-400/month. Spent about $600-700 to replace all the bulbs. Even replaced the dimmer ones. You have to make sure to buy the right color (soft white works to replace incandescant), and usually the incandescant wattage that the bulb compares to is usually more than what it states (example: If the bulb claims a 9W CFL is like 40W incandescant — its more like 50W) – but a few returns and lessons learned we are adjusting to them.

Haven’t had a new statement come in yet to show savings, but kept all the receipts (warrantys from 5-9 years on different bulbs), so I wont be buying any new bulbs for at least 5 years.

They do have a small warmup time, but really only obnoxious in the bedrooms and only for a second. Most of the fixtures in my house use the 60 watt candelabra small base lights, with 6-10 bulbs/fixture… such a waste of energy!! hopefully the CFL’s help…

we’ll see I would like to more about disposal though. Otherwise Im a fan!

Everyone compares the retail cost and energy usage of CFLs and LEDs with conventional incandescent lamps. How come nobody talks about manufacturing costs–dollar amounts and energy and raw materials consumed? Though inefficient, incandescent bulbs are cheap to manufacture and the materials are inert, and easily recycled. Each LED and CFL takes significantly more energy to make (perhaps more than energy saved while using!), and the materials left behind after they fail are toxic and non-recyclable. You have to look at the whole picture.

Dude: No, an incandescent isn’t nearly as effective as a central heater, as there’s no way to distribute the heat. Rather, you blast a bunch of excess energy out as heat in a highly localized space. They a bit like a radiant space heater suspended near the ceiling in the center of a room. You’re *way* better off using your furnace for heat and a light for light. As you so aptly put it, “Duh.”

The heat generation argument also cuts both ways, as during A/C season you are dumping excess heat into your home that needs to be pulled out.

I have switched to using CFL bulbs and have had great success so far. They seem to last longer and if they are going to save me money in the long run how can I complain! You can find out more useful information about CFLs here also: http://www.nvisioncfl.com/

Back when Costco first sold the CFLs (Feit brand, made in China), I bought a whole bunch and replaced all bulbs in my house. Then I noticed that the CFLs from Costco burns out after only a few weeks, whereas the incandescent bulbs were there forever, and that it actually was more trouble that it is worth and switch back to incandescent. But lately, since the CFL price have come down, I switched back to CFL, and I stick with name brands.

As an aside, the cost comparison back when CFL was expensive would be similar to today when it will cost about $15k to install solar panels that will save a house $100 a month in electric bills, so it will take over 10 years to breakeven. Not worth the trouble for most people, until the price comes down a lot more.

Note the flourescent light emits UV and can cause photographs and other UV sensitve materials to fade. The white paint on my cabinets are now yellowish. This is why you never see CFL in museums.

Also note that flourescent tubes (ones that operate with ballast and starter) consume more energy (due to induction) when it is turned on and off frequently.

There is no substitue to turning off the light when it is not used.

The key to using CFLs successfully is to do a little homework beforehand – choose a good brand that has the EnergyStar label. Also, use the proper “color temperature” – 2700K is most similar to yellowish incandescent light. Note the lumens which is the true measure of brightness. Use CFLs in light fixtures that you use for a couple of hours at a time (e.g. living room). Use them in fixtures that allow air flow.

I replaced all the lights in my apartment outside the bathroom with the ‘N:vision’ brand of CFLs back in April. Its now November, and not a single one has burned out. The light is bright, warm and pleasant.

I am very happy with fluorescent light. You just need to do a little homework first.

Thanks allen & dakboy for answering my question. I looked on Amazon and it looks like 8-9 bucks each for the vanity globe CFLs so it is good to know I dont have to replace them all at the same time. I also learned a lot about CFLs from the other comments too. Thanks.

The true cost of CFLs is the way they create a dingy quality of light that gives people headaches and makes them subtly uncomfortable. Not healthy.

1. I’ve had bad luck with the Commercial Electric CFL bulbs that Home Depot sells. I now tape the receipt to the package, mark the date on the base of each bulb, and take the bulbs back when they burn out. I get in the 0.5-2 year range, when they are “guaranteed 7 years.” Anybody know of a brand of CFL’s that lasts fares better over time?

2. The mercury is an issue. There should be mandatory take-back programs. Manufacturers that put a toxic element like this in a product should be required to have free collection and recycling programs in place at the point of purchase. The programs we have in place in Minnesota are not consumer friendly, thus making it a chore to recycle old bulbs (unless you save your receipt, and take them back to the store when they inevitably fail before their guaranteed lifetime).

By using CFLs, you are reducing the amount of mercury that goes into the environment from coal-fired power plants. But without adequate collection and recycling programs, and a high compliance rate, CFL mercury just shows up elsewhere in the environment.