Why Aren’t Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Catching on Faster?
Filed under: Earth911 – December 21, 2007 Dear EarthTalk: Why aren’t compact fluorescent light bulbs taking over more quickly from incandescents, given their substantial energy-saving advantage? And what about recycling them when they ultimately burn out? I’ve heard they contain mercury. —Nancy Holmes, Seaside, OR Analysts at the nonprofit Earth Policy Institute (EPI) estimate that the United States could close 80 coal-fired power plants if Americans switched over en masse to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). A global shift, says EPI, could close some 270 power plants worldwide. CFLs use less than a third of the energy required to power a traditional incandescent light bulb to produce the same amount of light. It’s hard to say exactly why a quicker transition over to CFLs hasn’t yet taken place in the U.S., given this substantial energy- and greenhouse gas-saving potential. China, Australia, Canada, Venezuela and Cuba have each committed to phasing out incandescent bulbs entirely
