whoever conned the govt into mandating their use must be laughing all the way to the bank. not only are they an environmental hazed, they are simply not cost effective. they don't last 10 times longer than conventional bulbs, or however many times it was supposed to be, and they cost heaps more. they emit UV radiation too.
I just replaced my first two CFLs. They were in use for more than 10 years each @ around 4 hours per day each. The total amount of mercury released by all the extra coal burned exceeds the amount of mercury in each lamp by a very considerable amount. CO2 reduction, using CFLs is substantial.
I've lived in my present home for 7 years. I have more than 20 CFLs, a handful of regular incandescents, 20-odd halogens (presently being replaced by LEDs) and a 13 linear fluoros. In that time, I've replaced two CFLs (which had I transferred from my previous home - these are both very high use lamps), 6 incandescents (which see around 20 hours/year operation), 4 linear fluoros and 15 halogens (which see less than 20 hours/year operation.
UV radiation is substantially blocked by regular glass.
**They already are. I'm replacing all my halogens with LEDs. There's a drop in light output, but there's a huge number of them, so the total light available is plenty. The power savings are massive. I replaced 300 Watts of halogens with 30 Watts of LEDs (electronic transformers). As the CFLs fail, they'll be replaced with LEDs as well.
Keep the receipts for the LED lamps. When they were very new on the market I bought four BC globe type Osrams as an experiment. One failed within a few weeks but Bunnings replaced it willingly when I showed them the dated proof of purchase. The other three plus the replacement are still going strong after three years. Very satisfactory experiment. No warm up time like a cfl and nice light quality. Mine at least also have a slight afterglow for a few minutes after switching off which is handy for finding the bed after switching off the main bedroom light. As the LED technology matures I think that the cfl might be the vcr of the lighting world. Brief moment of glory but consigned to the dustbin of history when better technology comes along. PH
Good advice I bought 4 fom Aldi 3 weeks ago strong but even at $10 a piece not good value, take years to get my $10 back. Aldi would of replaced it but couldn't be bothered, I buy $2, 18 watt fluro's which work well
I wish my CFL's had the same longevity as yours Trevor.
I've replaced probably 6 or 8 so far. Some went bang & smoked, some went phut & went black, some just stopped working. They were mainly Ikea sourced CFLs. I'm now only installing Philips branded units - fingers crossed.
Out of interest does anyone actually like the yellow output of the "warm white" CFL's? I find the "cool white" much more pleasant for both work areas & the lounge etc.
It's true that they're still pricey, I personally find the output very good. I have a few 4.5W LEDs in some downlights scattered around the house, a few in desk lamps as well. Oh, and a 1.somethingW globe in the fridge. I have an outdoor globe as well, very bright. All doing a great job.
One thing that drove me crazy about CFLs is a high-pitched tone that I frequently encountered. Haven't noticed that with LEDs so far.
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.