A great debate has begun over the safety of using CFL bulbs in the home, considering that they contain a small amount of mercury. As a person who is chemically sensitive from previous overexposures to hazardous materials, I want things to be safe.
I have a choice if I want to use technology which requires less electricity: CFL bulbs or LED components.
CFLs contain varying amounts of mercury so they could be a hazard if broken in the home and not cleaned up properly. http://tinyurl.com/5rdf56 I am going to need to weigh the dangers carefully. http://tinyurl.com/yq8a6l Energy Star puts out an informational pdf to help. http://tinyurl.com/2elryb Unbroken CFLs should be recycled and broken CFLs should be cleaned up properly. Check out the links if you want to educate yourself on how to do it. The CFLs contain much less mercury than the fillings in my teeth. EEK, is that a good thing? The good news is that the amount of mercury is being reduced dramatically.
While CFLs are readily available, I may choose to use LEDs in areas where they may come in contact with children or pets and use CFLs where they are not likely to get broken. I am not sure; I will have to think on it a bit. I would love your input on the matter. For more info on LEDs go to http://tinyurl.com/6ns7zl
I’ve gone online, and discovered a site http://www.eartheasy.com/ , and ordered a few goodies to try. First, I scooped up an amber LED bug light http://tinyurl.com/68mfh3 for outside. At $14.95 it’s about three times more expensive than the traditional incandescent I normally use. However, it will use less electricity and that reduces mercury emissions into the air at the power plant side. Yippee! It's one good thing for the environment that will also help on the electric bill. Another source for LEDs is http://tinyurl.com/6krxb7, http://tinyurl.com/6c2dsa , and http://tinyurl.com/5rjrkm .
No matter what type of bulb you choose, you’ll probably like to know what type of savings to expect. Right? GE has a whole house calculator for CFLs http://tinyurl.com/64sltf
I’m changing the bulbs in my home (about 2300 sqft) and in my Salon. Some bulbs have already been changed, so I’ll have a head start. Last year I put in natural light fluorescents in the salon to help fight a vitamin D deficiency. A side is that the natural light bulbs lift mood and can prevent seasonal affective disorder, which can strike during the winter.
Benefits all around.
Don’t forget that we are giving away prizes at the end of December. To be eligible simply register for our monthly newsletter on the right. We don’t spam and we NEVER share your email address. One of our lovely prizes is a Kill-A-Watt meter to help identify what gadgets really draw in current. Pass it along. More prizes coming.
I will also be sending out tweets that go along with the challenge www.twitter.com/BeautyWriter saving electricity is truly a beautiful thing.
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