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Which Bulb to Buy?
Bulbs are like people, they come in just about every shape and size imaginable. But they also have important differences that the green consumer should know. The table below provides you a quick reference tool to compare cost, energy consumption and lifetime of the bulb.
| Bulb | Cost | Energy | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incandescent | Low | High | Short |
| Light-emitting Diode (LED) | High | Low | Long |
| Halogen Incandescent | Medium | Low | Medium |
| Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) | Medium | Low | Long |
Safety and Recycling of cfls
There are a few important things you should know about compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
- CFLs contain a tiny amount of mercury, typically 1/100th the amount found in old-fashioned mercury fever thermometers.
- CFLs provide important benefits in reduced energy use (and lower energy costs), reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and reduced local air pollution from electric power generation.
- Unbroken CFLs pose no threat of mercury exposure.
Important Tips
- Always handle CFLs carefully to prevent breakage and refrain from using CFLs in lamps that might be easily knocked over, or in unprotected fixtures where bulbs are particularly at risk of being broken in the presence of young children, as in play spaces.
- If a CFL breaks, open doors and windows, turn off air circulation systems and have people and pets leave the room for 15 minutes. For information about safe clean-up procedures, see http://mass.gov/dep/toxics/stypes/brkncfls.htm
- If you want to discard an intact CFL that has burned out, it needs to be recycled. To find a list of of local recycling centers for everything from paint to CFLs go to Earth911.com and type in your zip.
Mercury is an element, found naturally in the environment, that has been used in a variety of household and other products such as thermostats, thermometers and switches. It can be toxic to humans even in small quantities. Visit www.epa.gov/mercury to get additional information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
