An Obsidian Potency PSA: CFLs

"This is a public service announcement brought to you in part...by Obsidian Potency."

I'm not talking about that horrendously-weak football league up north.  Rather, I'm referring to the light bulbs that can save you both time and money.

Last night, I went to Costco and bought 34 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).  One of my roommates first suggested this when I moved in, but it took someone with some initiative who was also willing to go outside their comfort zone (read: me) to actually go and get them.   No fewer than 3 people at the store made unsolicited comments extolling their virtues.

Given the state of the world and the corresponding state of utility costs, there really is no excuse left.  Here's a list of the pros to changing all your bulbs to CFLs:

1.  CFLs will save you money.  Depending on how big your place is and how many individual light bulbs your fixtures take, they might save you quite a bit of money.  My group house has more than 50 individual bulb slots, including lamps in people's rooms.  Though CFLs are more
   expensive in the short term, you will see savings a year or two down the line; no matter how much you pay for them, the savings are only a matter of time.  Bonus: they produce less heat than standard incandescent bulbs, which makes it easier to cool your house in summer when the A/C makes you cry to look at the electric bill.
   
   
2. CFLs will save you time.  What kind of masochist enjoys changing light bulbs?  I know I don't -- particularly when the ceilings in my house are vaulted and uber-high.  I don't want to have to break out the stool or chair every few weeks just because an overhead light burns out.  CFLs last ten times longer than regular bulbs, which means their lifespan is measured in years rather than months.  Just set it and forget it.
   
   
3. CFLs are better for the environment.  Much better, if the government and various environmental groups are right.  I'll quote the very first line of the preceding link: "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars." That's just ONE light bulb, folks -- imagine if people filled their homes with these things.  On a global scale, it could make a significant dent in global warming and pollution.
   
   
4. CFLs help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and help the U.S. beat those terrorists we keep hearing about.  It's all connected: if we use less power, we use less oil.  As our demand for oil goes down, our reliance on countries like Saudi Arabia (the country that helped spawn most of the hijackers who perpetrated 9/11) falls as well.  It's a sad fact that the vast majority of the world's oil supplies are located in the most politically volatile regions of the world, some of which contain anti-western terrorists.  We should not be counting on those regions to sustain our way of life, and using less energy is a good way to avoid doing so.

Of course, there are downsides to compact fluorescents as well.  Isn't there a downside to everything?  Here's a link to a site that chronicles pretty much all of them, no matter how petty.  In fairness, I've compiled a list of some of the cons as well:

1. CFLs are expensive up front.  It's true that CFLs can cost up to $12 per bulb.  But that's for morons who don't shop around.  Even at that price, you'll save money in the long run.  But I'll also let you in on a little secret: Costco sells a limited variety of CFLs (the traditional spiral type in 60-watt, 75-watt and 100-watt equivalents), some globe-style ones for those little screw-in bathroom lights, and outdoor floodlights.  They are selling a package of 8 60-watt equivalents for $11.49.  That's LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS PER BULB!  Regular incandescent bulbs cost about $.50 at Costco.  At that price, I don't see how cost could possibly be an excuse to not buy CFLs.  If you don't have a membership, find someone who does and have them buy you some.
   
   
2. CFLs give off a less-pleasant light than regular bulbs.  This used to be true, but now?  Now it's only true if you don't shop carefully.  CFLs now come in soft-white versions, and it's very hard to tell the difference between a 60-watt incandescent and a 60-watt-equivalent CFL without lighting them side-by-side or in the same room.  Some other flourescents give off a more whitish or bluish light.  If you don't like that tone, buy the soft-white versions.  The brand makes a huge difference; I recommend the Phillips Marathon brand.
   
   Besides, is this really a good excuse?  I drive a small Toyota, and it drives less-pleasantly than my last car (which was a larger German one).  You know why I drive the Toyota now?  Mainly because it's cheaper and easier to maintain than the German car was -- and it drives pleasantly enough, and has enough power and space for me right now.  You won't use CFLs because you don't like their light quite as much as incandescents? Really?  Are light bulbs that much of a must-have luxury that the glow preference outweighs saving money, time, the environment and the funding of wars?  If you say so.
   
   
3. CFLs aren't as bright as they say they are.  This is true; CFLs exaggerate their light claims.  It also takes them longer to achieve maximum brightness once they are switched on, and some of them flicker when turned on for a split-second.  Then again, incandescent bulbs don't last as long as they say they do, either.  Incandescents are much more prone to blow prematurely, even when used as directed, because of the nature of the heated filament. 
   
   
4. CFLs won't save money for renters, because the savings don't start until you move out.  This is bullshit if you buy them from Coscto, and this argument only holds water if you don't factor in A/C savings. 
   
   
5. They won't fix in every fixture, and you can't use them with dimmers or completely-enclosed, recessed fixtures.  This is true.  I can't deny this is a problem, and you'll have to keep using incandescents in your recessed (and enclosed) light fixtures.  But most light fixtures will take them.  Also, there are now CFLs made for dimmer switches.  They are a bit more expensive, but they work.    
   
   
6. CFLs contain mercury (a poison) that can be dangerous when dropped, so they cannot be thrown in the trash like normal bulbs.  This is also true - breaking a CFL is a lot more hazardous than breaking a regular bulb, so you may want to theink about how you use them if there are children in your house.  However, CFL bulbs can be recycled -- and almost every community has a resource where you can do so.  Also, if you don't breathe in the fumes from a broken bulb and you dispose of *all* shards and cleaning rags, you should be fine.    

So are CFL's perfect yet?  Of course not.  But they are out of the infancy stage, and I think it's safe to say that even right now, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.  So why aren't they selling?  A few reasons: one, Americans don't like the up-front costs and are preoccupied with short-term expenses; two, CFLs are packaged horribly and look ugly; and three, then name (compact fluorescent) isn't doing them any favors with people who automatically think of office lights when they see the word 'flourescent.'

If Wal-Mart -- WAL-MART! -- is pushing to sell as many CFLs as possible as part of their green initiative, what excuse does anyone have to avoid being as green as one of America's most vilified corporations? 

That's kinda what I thought. 

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