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CFLs appear destined to become a consumer staple, either because hordes of people realize they're cheaper, or because the alternative will be prohibited. My money's on the carrot. Thus far, green goods have been pitched to the top: expensive Priuses for guilty yuppies, solar installations for rich techies. But to have real impact, energy-efficiency products need to make economic sense to those who congregate on the lower rungs of the economic ladder. Wal-Mart's sales of CFLs proves that energy-efficient goods don't have to be luxury items.

Earth lovers fret that even if the United States and Europe get their greenhouses in order, the large populations in China, India and Africa will ultimately overwhelm any emissions savings as they plug in. But if CFLs became a staple at Wal-Mart and other low-end retailers, and if manufacturers respond to new regulations by producing massive quantities of CFLs at low prices, the first bulbs to illuminate Indian villages may be low-emission fluorescents. It takes more than one market force to change a light bulb.

© 2007

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  • Posted By: slrosdahl @ 02/15/2008 3:36:10 PM

    I tried these CFL bulbs in my outside lights and they pulsed all night long. I tried a different brand and the same thing happened. I do not have a dimmer circuit but they are on an electronic timer. Also I didn't change the candelabra incandescent lamps in my porch lite on the same circuit. Would that be why they pulse?

  • Posted By: DaughterInPA @ 10/22/2007 9:00:51 PM

    I've noticed that many of the comments were about the mercury in the CFL's and what we're to do with them when they expire. My question would then be; what are people doing with their old cell phones, monitors, computers, printers, batteries, etc now? These items also contain hazardous waste and should not be placed in the trash. If someone were concerned about the environment and the potential hazards, wouldn't they already know where they drop these items off? If they didn't know what to do with them, where have they been disposing of those products? As we already have products we can't throw in the trash, it should be no more of an inconvenience to add one more item.
    These bulbs do contain some mercury but they last a long time; therefore, there should be less of them to dispose of. I can't remember the last time I broke an incandescent bulb. But, bulbs are fragile and could break. If they do break, mercury could enter our households. We wouldn't contact a "hazardous waste specialist" to clean it up any more than we would for a battery that has burst.
    Personally, I don't believe that the government should regulate the use of incandescent bulbs. Keep raising the electric costs and the free market will do it on their own. Peer pressure will do the rest. Eventually, companies will not have enough of a profit incentive to even produce those bulbs. They will be imported from China and be just as hazardous to the household, from lead.

  • Posted By: pbier @ 10/20/2007 2:09:51 PM

    The CFLs I recently got, in some cases, did not fit the fixtures. The problem is the coil exceeds the shape envelope of the bulb it replaces out farthest from the base. That's a design flaw for a retrofit product, and it will slow acceptance. I want to see these CFL bulb shapes "tucked in" to fit every light fixture where an incandescent can be replaced. The ability to cut down the electricity consumed by 75% is a rare breakthrough. CFL bulb engineers....get it right mechanically!

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