Shedding light on compact fluorescent mania

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For the last few months, everyone in Ontario could get a pretty good deal on compact fluorescent light bulbs, thanks to coupon rebates sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s Conservation Bureau. I bought a bunch of the twisty bulbs myself because I like the light they give and I like their long working life. But I’m also worried. These bulbs have been promoted in a way that oversells their real-world conservation value. Given the media messages we’ve seen lately, you might end up thinking that switching from regular, incandescent bulbs to fluorescent ones is going to make a significant difference in our collective energy plight. I wish progress were this easy, but the laws of physics and finance tell a different story.

Before you start throwing rotten fruit at me, let me unveil some facts that can’t be shoehorned into a feel-good commercial in a movie theatre.

Take a look at any package of compact fluorescent light bulbs and you’ll see three important numbers: a big price sticker, prominent claims for handsome energy savings and long bulb life specs. These numbers naturally lead to two questions.

Does the long working life of compact fluorescent bulbs outweigh their higher price? Does the energy savings of these bulbs translate directly into real-world savings considering your household energy budget as a whole? Let’s crunch some numbers based on an ordinary 100-watt incandescent bulb and its compact fluorescent equivalent.

Depending on where you shop, an ordinary 100-watt bulb costs about $1.15 (with a working life of about 1000 hours). A compact fluorescent that puts out the same amount of light costs between $5 and $15 (with a working life of 6,000 to 12,000 hours, depending on the brand). This means that compact fluorescents last 6 to 12 times longer, but they cost 4 to 13 times as much. Is that a good deal? Yes, I think so, though only because it saves me the trouble of changing light bulbs as often. Trash reduction is an issue, too, though there’s a catch. Although you’ll throw out far more dead incandescent bulbs than fluorescent ones, at least one brand of fluorescents that I’ve seen contains enough mercury that it affects how you can safely dispose of the failed bulbs.

So what about the most important attribute of compact fluorescents, their much-touted energy savings? While there’s no doubt that compact fluorescents use substantially less electricity than incandescent bulbs putting out the same amount of light, does lower electricity use at the bulb really translate to overall, household energy savings?

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