Tag Archives: CFL

Free light bulbs from Mass Save

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I received a bunch of free CFL and LED bulbs from MassSave as a blogger. I was very clear that I was going to say what I wanted, not necessarily nice things. I held up my end of the bargain, as you’ll see below.

Update, 12/13/2014: Two important notes about this post. 1. It is old enough that some of these bulbs are no longer in production, let alone used by MassSave anymore. 2. This is, to me, the least interesting post on this website. Hopefully you’ll take a few moments to read other, more interesting posts on this website. Thanks!

MassSave is a great program which offers “free” energy audits to MA residents and

CFL samples Mass Save sent.

Some of the CFL samples Mass Save sent.

commercial property owners. Non-profit entities are not eligible for most services. (“Free” is in quotes because the funding comes from all of our energy bills, so we have, in fact, paid for the service. That’s fine and good in my book.)

If you haven’t had a free audit, go sign up for one, now. Go, I’ll wait. Done? Good. (If your last audit was four years ago, do it again. They’ve improved dramatically.) Continue reading →

Light bulb cheat sheet

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As a follow up to the earlier post about CFLs and LEDs (“Those bulbs are ugly”), it is worth pointing out this great short piece by Consumer Reports on which bulbs go where, depending on their color temperature (degrees kelvin.)

To simplify even further, here’s a quick cheat sheet with the degrees Kelvin you should look for on the bulb packaging:

  • Bathroom vanity, dining room, where you sit staring at your significant other: 2700K
  • Kitchen, workshop, crafts room (detail oriented work): 3500 K to 4100 K
  • Reading room: 5000 K to 6500 K

Or, as I mentioned in that earlier post, try to find the Kelvin of the bulb you’re replacing, if you like it.

Those bulbs are ugly

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I happened to be at a big box hardware store, that shall not be named, talking to the lighting guy. We were speaking about LEDs and he said something about how they look bad.
When I asked why, he responded “They’ve got all these little dots putting out light, have you seen them?”
I fell silent for a moment, this was a new argument for me. I then asked “How often do you stare at the light bulbs in your home?” He didn’t have an answer to that.
Since I’m not a lighting expert or engineer, there’s an excellent chance any definition I try to provide about lumens, Kelvin or spectrum would be torn apart. I encourage those of you looking to enlighten about the definitions to do so in the comments.
People come up with all kinds of crazy reasons not to install CFLs or LEDs. Usually the reasons are based on price (though they won’t say it), false information, absolutely nothing or a combination of the three. (There are some places not to put CFLs, and I’ve talked about some places not to use them.)
While the “dot theory” was new to me, plenty of people complain that the light quality isn’t good, they’re too dim, or that they’re too expensive. These arguments are based in little to no fact, but let’s give each of them a very few moments discussion.
Light quality: Frequently people opposed to CFLs or LEDs say these lights aren’t good for their artwork, or for reading, or that they provide only a cold, dim light.
What they’re typically missing is an understanding of lumens, kelvin (light temperature) and spectrum (light color.) CFLs and LEDs, just like incandescents, can be purchased in a variety of flavors and styles, including warm, cool, daylight and bright. To say that CFLs or LEDs are “too cold” or “too dim” means that you either don’t know what you’re talking about or you refused to purchase bulbs that had the same lumens/kelvin/spectrum as the ones there previously.
Too dim: We could go into a great lengthy and technological discussion about lumens, which measures the light intensity of a bulb. Or, you can look at the package that the bulb comes in which typically says something like “Equivalent to a XX watt bulb” where “XX” is the number of watts.
Still not satisfied? Look at the package of the incandescent bulb (or look it up online.) How many lumens does it provide? Now look for a CFL or LED that provides the same amount of lumens. That was easy, wasn’t it?
Too expensive: There is, of course, something to this. The initial cost of a CFL or LED bulb is higher than an incandescent. This is, I think, the crux of most people’s arguments. Light quality and other issues are a charade because these people aren’t going to the store to buy high quality incandescents – they go to the supermarket or hardware store and buy the least expensive bulb they can. They’re not concerned about a warm glow around Johnny’s third-grade painting, they’re concerned about the bottom line.
Well then, here’s the bottom line: A CFL will save you between $30-$100 per bulb over it’s 7-10 year lifespan. LEDs will save you more than $100, some almost $300, over it’s 17-30 year lifespan. Your incandescent? It’s going to keep sucking energy and money until it dies in a year. CFLs and LEDs pay for themselves long before they die, and then keep on saving.
They’re too something-or-otherish: My brother and I recently had a discussion about how much he’d save if he installed some air-tight LED lights for some recessed lighting in his home. His immediate response was that the light was no good for reading. Knowing my brother and the location of the lights I asked “how often do you actually read in that room?” His answer, never. (He has since installed one as a test and liked it. He’s now waiting for me to buy the rest for him.)
My point is this, people come up with all sorts of reasons to oppose new bulbs for a variety of reasons that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. They fail to recognize that these bulbs will save them money, and help the planet, while providing equal or better light quality.
So the next time someone says they don’t like either CFL or LED bulbs, ask them why. Then try to politely explain that they can get the same quality light with a more efficient bulb.

CFLs: When and where NOT to use them

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I’m going to annoy a lot of good people with this post.
I’m a big fan of CFLs in most places throughout the home. The energy savings they offer is tremendous, and they pay for themselves in very short order.
A few years ago purchasing CFLs was hit or miss. Some would start right up and give a good bright light, some would not. The “special” bulbs such as bathroom globes, dimmable spots, and others could be hard to find and expensive to purchase. Today, while there are still occasional crummy bulbs to be found, most will give you a good bright light and last a long time. You can find, with relative ease, candelabras, spots, exterior-rated, dimmable, globes and many more.
Here’s the part where I annoy a lot of good people: Not every bulb in your home should be a CFL.
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury (something less than 1/100th that of a  thermometer.) They’re perfectly fine while intact but if they break, 4 micrograms or so of mercury can be released. That’s not much, and most people (including me) don’t get particularly concerned about it, but why not avoid the problem in locations most prone to risk of breaking?
I’ve never knocked over a table or floor lamp, but I know it happens. Especially in homes with children, I encourage people to keep CFLs out of these types of fixtures. Other places in the home, like clip-on lamps, low-hanging basement lights (usually just a bulb in a socket with no protection) can become an issue as well.
Fixtures throughout the rest of the home, including bathroom lights, recessed lights, enclosed hanging fixtures, etc. are perfect for CFLs. Also, LEDs are coming down in price and contain no mercury at all.
If you do break a bulb, here are the EPA’s official instructions on how to clean it up: http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup-detailed.html
Finally, I was recently made aware of an email making the rounds about CFLs catching fire. Given the way CFLs work (very different than incandescent bulbs) and their significantly lower heat, it made no sense so I investigated. I quickly came upon this article at Snopes.com which put the issue to bed – there is no fire hazard and the email is erroneous.
UPDATE: One of the great things about this blog and the Arlington community is the wealth of knowledge. Two things have been pointed out to me that merit mention.
1. Only CFL bulbs specifically labeled as “dimmable” should be placed in fixtures that use dimmer switches.
2. Buy only CFL bulbs labeled as “Energy Star.” Why? Aside from energy consumption issues, in order to gain the Energy Star label the bulb must meet certain safety requirements. Non Energy Star bulbs do not have certain insulative properties that prevent overheating and fires.
3. CFLs have a hard time, and potentially create a safety hazard, in enclosed fixtures such as ceiling fixtures. CFLs put out very little heat and don’t like heat. In an enclosed fixture they can overheat and burn out faster than their expected life span.