Just use candles... don't waste any energy, just a wee bit of oxygen and if you get the right type, fill the air with aroma..

But for those that do switch to CF bulbs over incandescent bulbs, remember to dispose of them properly as they have mercury in them which is very harmful not only to you but the environment. It's the only drawback in using them cause most people are lazy and just throw about anything into the trash nowadays..

The mercury in a florescent bulb is in vapor form not soild form. So the moment you burst them the mercury goes into the air. Usually the reason a florescent bulb goes out is because air has found its way into the bulb thus the mercury is gone. The real reason to dispose of them properly is because of the phosphorus coating used in the inside which is toxic. I bought some CF bulbs and used them but I found the light harsh and non natural. I still do have one but its used in a lamp that is not on very much. I am still waiting on LED light bulbs tho as florescent light is created by emitting ultraviolet light that makes the florescent glow in the lamp. Some shotty made florescent can leak ultraviolet light which is not good for your body or eyes.

Which then settles on anything around it or breathed in, it's not like it dissappears or floats off into nothing..
Kind of like car exhaust, not like it cleanses itself and turns into nothing after it's emitted from the tailpipe.


Another reason to dispose of them yes I'd agree.

Harsh and unnatural? I find that CF bulbs are more natural looking and easier on the eyes. They also emit less heat as they don't waste like a regular incandescent bulb will do. With most incandescent bulbs, they only actually use 5% of the power to make light, the rest is wasted on producing heat.

I've replaced all of my bulbs and I saw a decrease in my electric bill even by $10 to $20 dollars on average. They cost more but most have a lifespan of 5 to 7 years. I've had the same bulbs for over 2 years now, not one has gone out. Before I was replacing bulbs every few months, which pretty much adds up to the cost or more of one CF given over time considering the amount of energy they use, heat produced and the life of each.

On average, they say the life of a regular 100W incandescent bulb burns or uses about a half ton of coal to produce the electricity it will use in such lifetime. I'd recommend any type of lighting over incandescent just on the aspect that it is indeed better for the environment, hence the reasons I said most should be aware they need to dispose of them properly.

Just for most members info about the mercury in CF bulbs:

Mercury--a toxic metal known to cause brain, spinal cord, kidney and liver damage in humans--does not break down easily and, once airborne, often finds its way into groundwater, rivers and the sea, where it can cause a host of contamination issues for wildlife and people alike.

The first thing to do when a compact fluorescent bulb breaks is to open all the windows to disperse any mercury vapor that may have escaped. Then put on gloves, sweep up the fragments, and wipe the area with a disposable paper towel. Using a vacuum is a bad idea, as it will only stir up any lingering airborne mercury. Lastly, the fragments should be sealed into a plastic bag and recycled or disposed of.

The best way to dispose of burned-out or broken compact fluorescent bulbs is to take or mail them (in the sealed plastic bag) to a mercury recycling facility. The website of the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers provides contact information for locating such facilities state by state. If mercury recycling is not an option in your area, the bulb or fragments should be placed in sealed plastic bags and disposed of at your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection site.

Ironically, compact fluorescent bulbs are responsible for less mercury contamination than the incandescent bulbs they replaced, even though incandescents don’t contain any mercury. The highest source of mercury in America’s air and water results from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, at utilities that supply electricity. Since a compact fluorescent bulb uses 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb, and lasts at least six times longer, it is responsible for far less mercury pollution in the long run. A coal-burning power plant will emit four times more mercury to produce the electricity for an incandescent bulb than for a compact fluorescent.

CONTACTS: Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, www.almr.org; Earth911.org, www.earth911.org; EPA Household Hazardous Waste Page, http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/m...w.htm#options; EPA Fact Sheet: Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps, www.nema.org/lamprecycle/epafactsheet-cfl.pdf.

Resource: http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive...earthtalk.html

Just a small correction there Trickykid
you said

"Mercury-- --does not break down easily"

actually Mercury being an element does not break down at all, and the only non-toxic compound that has mercury in it - that I am aware of - is mercury selenimide.

Selenium is used by industry to clean up mercury spills, it is also very necessary in our body's defense systems.

and just to add another interesting point
while it is correct to say that Coal-fired powere is the biggest contributor to mercury in our modern environment

The second biggest, at least in the UK, is
Crematoria
all that mercury in people's fillings being cremated has to go somewhere too.

floppy

Actually we have had both incandescent and flourescent lights explode, and the incandescent was a double fused type.

Probably the simplest explanation is that there may have been a spike on the power line that simply blew the weakest link in the chain - either due to age or a manufacturing fault.

I had my nextdoor neighbour come over and measure the voltage one day and instead of the usual 240 V it was ranging from 260 V to 280 V, this will shorten the life-span of any thing. While I did have a multi-meter he had the proper gear ( having an electrician ticket ).

floppy

Heh, weren't my actual words, those were a quote from another source..