Those Energy Sucking Fluorescent Bulbs

I live in a development that puts out a monthly magazine for the residents. Besides containing information particular to the residents it usually contains "useful" or "interesting" information. This month's issue contained facts compiled FP&L (Florida Power and Light) which detailed the percentage of energy used for different functions. Heating and Air cooling was number first at about thirty-seven percent. Water heating was second at about thirty percent. Lighting was down on the list coming in at a little less than five percent.

They say compact fluorescent bulbs use about seventy-five percent less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. If that is the case (and I am not going to spend a lot of time getting the math absolutely correct) then it's probably going to get the percentage of total energy use to down around three percent.

To me that kind of puts a lie to this kind of rhetoric from the article linked here

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/108/open_lightbulbs.html

What that means is that if every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.


(and don't you love the way they toss out the "facts" (LOL) - Power a city for how long? Take the cars of the road for how long? Where did they get their "facts"?)

And in order to save that small percentage of energy our homes use you would need to go through this (from an advisory article posted on www.epa.gov) if you break a CF bulb (which contains mercury vapor and dust).

Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal below. Please also read the information on this page about what never to do with a mercury spill.

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.

Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.

Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.

Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.

Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.

Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.

You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.

Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.

Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.


(notice the admonition for future vacuuming and carpet cleaning)

Personally I would just keep the number for the EPA Hazmat team on speed dial.

I also think the savings would be offset by the printing of the forty-two page booklet that will eventually needed to be included with every bulb to satisfy the manufacturers' attorneys. And what about all those plastic bags and glass jars that will end up in land fills instead of being recycled?


So what's our conclusion folks? It's the same as it is in so many cases....

It's not about science, conservation, or saving the earth - it's about an agenda.