by Larry Smith
Compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, made up 20 per cent of the US light bulb market last year, and they are doubling annually.
The US Congress passed an energy bill in December that included a plan to phase out the sale of incandescent bulbs. CFLs use about 75 per cent less electricity and last up to 10,000 hours, compared to a maximum of 1,000 hours for regular bulbs.Lighting typically makes up about 20 per cent of a home's power bill.
Each CFL bulb contains a small amount of mercury, which is toxic to humans. However, experts say that every CFL thrown in the trash represents a net reduction of mercury in the environment compared with each incandescent bulb.
That's because the amount of mercury generated by a power plant to light a CFL bulb is dramatically less than that generated to light an incandescent bulb.
Promotion of CFLs were a major feature of the Jamaica demand side management programme which dramatically increased public awareness of energy efficiency. Annual CFL sales in Jamaica rose from 5,000 prior to 1995 to 85,000 in 2004 and are expected to reach some 130,000 by 2010.
Caution with CFLs if broken it is hazardous and these bulbs should not be incinerated since mercury will be released into the atmosphere. Led technologies hold more promise for energy effeciency without the mercury
contamination, however the costs of these bulbs are currently high.
Posted by: Mary Mintz | February 28, 2008 at 01:57 PM