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A List of Good Things About CFL Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs offer some significant advantages over the traditional incandescent bulb. CFLs offer superior energy efficiency and, therefore, savings on electricity bills. CFLs also have a lower carbon footprint than incandescent bulbs, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the bulbs have longer rated lifetimes than incandescents, which is another savings on money and resources.

How CFLs Work
- Traditional incandescent bulbs work by channeling electricity through a thin wire, called a filament, which heats up and gives off light. CFLs work by conducting electricity through a gas composed of argon and mercury vapor. The gas emits ultraviolet light, which excites the electrons in a fluorescent coating on the bulb. The excited electrons jump up to a higher energy state; as they fall back down, they release photons, or light. Due to this action, CFL bulbs require up to three minutes to reach full brightness.
Energy Efficiency
- CFL bulbs need more electricity to start up than incandescent ones, but once they get going, they consume significantly less electricity. "U.S. News" reports that CFL bulbs use 75 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs. According to Energy Conservation Awareness, an incandescent bulb that draws 75 watts can be replaced by a fluorescent one that only uses 20. According to the government's Energy Star standards, a CFL bulb should last six times as long as an incandescent one.
Saving Money
- Energy Central analyzed CFL bulbs, not only in terms of energy use but in terms of savings with respect to general heating, ventilation and air conditioning costs as well as usability factors. It found that using CFLs in commercial buildings leads to about a $22 savings per year per 75-watt incandescent light fixture converted to CFL. Energy Conservation Awareness claims that while a 75-watt incandescent bulb costs $48 dollars to run over 8,000 hours, but a CFL bulb with the same brightness only costs $12.80.
Environmental Benefits
- The reduced energy consumption of CFL lightbulbs means that over the lifetime of the bulb, it will reduce carbon emissions. Energy Conservation Awareness estimates that one CFL bulb will save about 204 kilograms (450 pounds) of carbon over its lifetime. Environmental Chemistry estimates carbon savings of 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of carbon per year of use, based on oil- or coal-fueled electricity plants. Both amounts are significant; using the lower ECA numbers, choosing CFLs for the average home that uses 30 bulbs saves as much carbon as two small cars would produce.

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