Did you know that the Federal Government has put off the ban they imposed on incandescent light bulbs for another two years, until Jan. 1, 2014? CFL’s require less energy to operate than conventional light and were touted by both provincial and federal governments as a “green” alternative that would help us to reduce our carbon footprint and save energy.
But it’s not hard to wonder if this delay is more of a stall tactic by the feds to give them a bit more time 
before they kill the deal all together, since it is becoming abundantly apparent that Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL’s), which were planned to replace the supposedly outdated tungsten bulbs that we have all been using since we were kids, have turned out to have more than a few problems of their own.
There is no doubt that CFL’s (they are the curly ones that cost three times as much) use less electricity than conventional light bulbs – they operate at a much cooler temperature, compared to other lights, and “waste” less energy in the form of heat loss. It almost makes sense to believe that the world would be a better place if we all stopped using incandescent light bulbs, which convert only around 7% of the energy they require into the light we see – the rest (93%) is converted into heat energy. Almost, that is, until we start to think about where we live and to learn some of the dark truths about CFL’s.
But before we all get carried away and start handing out any awards, we should take a minute to think about things a bit more.
You may have noticed - here in Canada it gets cold in the wintertime and we need to heat our homes. For about 9 months of the year, all heat is good heat and there is no such thing as wasted heat energy inside our homes, no matter where it comes from. This absurdly obvious fact is one that most of us take for granted, which makes it hard to understand why the folks in high places chose not to include it when considering CFL’s.
Electrical appliances, unlike gas belching furnaces, are 100% efficient and waste zero energy – a 100 watt light bulb generates 7 watts of light energy and 93 watts of heat. Building scientists estimate that about 5% of the heat needed in a modern is supplied by incandescent light bulbs, which would need to be replaced if CFL’s were installed. This is especially important to consider in places like BC, where most homes are heated by natural gas systems that produce greenhouse gasses and almost all electricity is produced by hydro-electric generators that release no emissions.
5% may not sound like much, but it has been estimated that the extra heating demands resulting from the switch to Compact Florescent Lights would produce an additional 250,000 tonnes of CO2 per year – the equivalent of an extra 40,000 cars on the road - and that’s just in BC!.
Increased emissions are only one of the problems with CFL’s. Disposing of them will require a trip to a designated recycling facility (more greenhouse gasses), since they contain mercury vapors that are extremely poisonous. You may have to call in a HazMat team if you ever break one in your home – in test cases; researchers were unable to remove mercury from carpets even weeks after spillage.
While the bulbs are touted to last longer than the tungsten type, that is only true if they are left on for longer periods. CFL’s work best when not shut off very often, especially in the outdoors, which raises the obvious question of how can a bulb which shouldn’t be shut off end up saving any energy.
I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys the quality of light from CFL’s; their flickering greenish light makes me think about B grade horror flicks.
We’ll have to wait until 2014 to find out if the powers that be will come to their senses. In the meantime, I will be hoarding all the incandescent bulbs I can get my hands on.
