Are CFLs Really Worth It?

Yo! Thanks for coming back for this week’s “Ask Renewabelle.”  As you hopefully read last week, we discussed the cost benefits associated with unplugging your electronics last week and I immediately received a follow up question from Johnny B. Truant that I had to address right away.  He asked…

I knew I was going to write about it, but then Phil Buckley echoed Johnny’s question with a comment on last week’s post…

Since there are a few myths to bust here, I’m going to go after this one piece at a time…

Livin’ La Vida Verde

When CFLs first came out, many promoted a lifespan of seven years.  Anyone who has used one for a while can probably look back to one that didn’t come even close to that.  The reason is understandable…

If you read the packaging, it probably said it would last 10,000 hours.  To come up with the seven-year claim, they’re estimating you’ll use the bulb about 1,429 hours per year or approximately 27 hours per week.  I’m going to guess you left yours on a lot more than that, which means the bulb isn’t going to last as long.

If you have a CFL that only lasted a year, you got a faulty bulb.  I’d bring it back to wherever you bought it and request an exchange.  I’d also call the manufacturer to let them know.

It’s All About The Benjamins, Baby

Now that we know these really are going to last a while, will they pay off?  In a word, YES.  In a few words, HELL FREAKIN’ YES.  Here’s the science:

• Let’s figure you’re going to have your CFL turned on for eight hours a day (or night), five days a week.  That’s 40 hours a week (as if you didn’t know this), or 2,080 hours per year.

• We’re going to take that 2,080 hours and assume you’re using a 23-Watt CFL instead of a 60-Watt incandescent bulb with a 1,000 hour life.

• If the lifespan of the bulb is 10,000 hours (about 4.8 years using our numbers), you can figure you’ll save 370 kWh over the life of the bulb or approximately 77 kWh per year.  (if you want to convert your own Watts to kilowatt hours, go here for the math)

• Assuming you pay an average kWh rate (check your bill to run your own return) of $0.10 per kWh, you can expect to save around $37 over the life of each bulb or $7 and change per year.

• If the average CFL costs $3 each—versus the average incandescent, which costs $0.60 each—your simple payback is 0.2 years.

• This number is even better if you factor in the $1.20+ you’re going to spend every year on that replacement incandescent bulb, the gas money spent going to the store, your time spent swapping bulbs, etc.  Hassle factor is heavily weighted in my house.

• The number is even better than that if you’re swapping out an outdoor flood or another indoor bulb with a wattage closer to 100 or more.  I picked 60 Watts for our example because it’s about as low as anyone goes with their wattage.

• Now, go count the number of incandescent bulbs you have, multiply that by $7 and you tell me if you’re going to save any money by swapping them out with CFLs…

So now you say, sure… I’ll save money, but I heard CFLs are dangerous…

Those Lights Are POISON?

Let’s talk about the mercury issue.  Did you know there is more mercury in your average battery than in a CFL? Yeah.

People freak out about the mercury and use it as an excuse to avoid buying CFLs, but those same people probably have dental fillings containing more of the stuff IN THEIR MOUTH than they’ll find in a bulb.

Check out this article from Popular Mechanics to get the low-down on mercury.

I’ve had CFLs burst on my head.  No, that’s not why I’m freaky – I was like this well before CFLs hit the market.  Wanna know what I did?  I cursed, grabbed a broom, swept up the glass, put it all into a plastic bag from the grocery store and took a shower with my eyes closed.  Easy peasy.

That being said, you need to pay attention to how you dispose of them.  Check out this page from the US Environmental Protection Agency to learn more about proper disposal procedures.  I personally bring mine to Home Depot, which keeps a cute container right by the front door just for CFLs.

I wish you luck and encourage you to contact me if you have any questions along the way!

A few quick notes before I go:

• Next week I’ll be back with some information on thermostats and set-backs.  Hit me up if you have thoughts you’d like me to include or address.
• If you have any questions you’d like me to answer in a future post, tweet @Renewabelle or get in touch with me one of a few other ways over here.
• If you have any follow up questions or notes you’d like to add, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I hope this information proves useful and that it finds you well.

RB