- Install your CFL bulb right away: Incandescent bulbs waste 95% of the electricity that they consume as heat.
- CFL bulbs have been on the market for about 20 years. Many misperceptions about the quality of CFL bulbs are based on people's experience with the older versions of the bulbs.
- The bulbs were are handing out are 13-watt bulbs, equivalent in brightness to a 60-watt incandescent.
- Wherever you buy CFL bulbs, look for the ENERGY STAR logo on the packaging.
- CFL bulbs are ideal for hard-to-reach fixtures or those areas where lights are on for extended periods of time. Because CFL bulbs last for five to seven years, you would have to buy about eight incandescent bulbs for each CFL bulb over the same time.
- Dispose of CFL bulbs properly: The bulbs have a minute amount of mercury. It is
important that CFL bulbs not be thrown in the regular garbage. All household
hazardous waste (CFL bulbs, batteries, old cell phones, etc.) should be disposed of properly. Check your municipal web site for disposal options. You can also bring spent bulbs to Home Depot stores. - The colour temperature of CFL bulbs is indicated by their kelvin number. Bulbs are available in warm tones (lower than 3000 K), through to more cool, white lights (4000 K and higher).
- CFL bulbs can be used in cold weather. In the extreme cold (minus 20 and lower) the bulbs may take a few minutes to come to full brightness.
- Because the newer generations of CFL bulbs use electronic ballasts (rather than magnetic ballasts), they do not flicker. This means that people who suffer from headaches due to fluorescent lighting will not be negatively affected by CFL bulbs.
- CFL bulbs can be used in any fixture, indoors or out. They are fine in ceiling fixtures, floor lamps, or table lamps. CFL bulbs are available in many different sizes, shapes, and colours, including CFL bulbs for dimmer switches and tri-lights.
- Some CFL bulbs have a unique "end-of-life" characteristic. In certain circumstances, a CFL may emit smoke and a melting, plastic-like odour at the end of its life. This is a common occurrence in all brands of CFLs and is not considered dangerous.
- Some timers (photocell) are incompatible with CFL bulbs. Check the manufacturer.
- Other types of energy-efficient lighting: LED technology is the next wave of energy efficient lighting. LED bulbs as they currently stand are too expensive and not of a light quality appropriate for most consumers. In a few years they will be appropriate for mass consumption. LED lights are 95% more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs.
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