FILE- This June 10, 2009 file photo shows a compact fluorescent light bulb in Freeport, Maine. There are simple steps you may take to start conserving energy in your home, such as replacing your incandescent lighting in the room you use the most with energy efficient, fluorescent lighting. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, FILE)
Robert F. Bukaty, AP
The recent "Light Bulb Debate" article (Readers' Forum Nov. 20) doesn't provide the full compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) story. First, using CFLs actually contributes less mercury to the environment compared to standard incandescent bulbs — a savings of 4.6 mg of mercury per bulb in areas of Utah with coal-fired power.
Second, CFLs are less expensive to buy overall. We had two 13 watt Philips CFLs turned on at the front of our home every night for 13 years before they burned out. That saved us from buying at least 24 incandescent bulbs plus $322 in total electrical cost savings over those 13 years. We could have saved even more if LED lighting technology had been available.
Finally, to clarify from that earlier article, one study suggests that it takes 3.9 times more energy to produce the equivalent number of incandescent bulbs compared to each of our CFL bulbs (including the CFL recycling costs). There is no grand conspiracy here. CFLs and LED-based lighting technologies make sense for America.
Michael Glenn
Cottonwood Heights
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I like CFL bulbs. I've used them for years and plan on using them for years to come. The reason for my preference of CFL bulbs over incandescent is mostly laziness: if I have to change the bulbs in my home once every few years as opposed to a couple More..
I too have a 13-year old CFL light that was one of the free lights given out by the power company. It has a hard time starting up now, but still lights eventually. Problem is, that is no longer the norm.
Current CFL lights are not as More..
There has come onto the market cheap incandescent bulbs that do not last long and sometimes even break while screwing them into the socket. This helps to create an impression that "incandescents" are intrinsically flawed. They used to last More..