Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)
– poster bulbs for the Canadian government’s eco ‘policy’ – are supposed to use
a quarter of the energy of Edison’s suddenly out-of-vogue incandescents, while
lasting 10 times longer. Over their lifetime, the more expensive CFLs are
supposed to save you $30 in energy costs.
The problem, however, is that the CFLs are generally not lasting their claimed
life according to tests by Consumer Reports. The CFLs “are dropping like flies,”
says Margery Conner, technical director for electronics trade journal EDN,
adding that some CFLs that she’s bought have lasted less than half as long as
the traditional incandescent.
Additionally, there are a host of other concerns with the CFLs. Turning them on
and off shortens their life span. Their functioning is haphazard in colder
temperatures. The radio frequency harmonics and the infrared light that are
emitted interfere with other electronics.
The big supposed waste of the incandescent light bulb was the heat it produced. But in Canada, we may have to turn up our thermostat a few degrees to compensate for the heat lost when using CFLs. Europe has also branded the CFL as dangerous waste and banned it from landfills, due to the mercury content.
École Polytechnique’s Guy Olivier and Rachid Benhaddadi
in their recent article in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’
Canadian Review have also come to most of the above findings including the fact
that “energy savings largely disappear in cold climates.” They have called on
manufacturers and governments to take action.
The action: in both the USA and Canada, the incandescent light bulb is set to
become a page in the history books by 2012. Were these decisions made
considering all information? Too often, in public or private life, we succumb to
fashionable opinion. Do we have the capacity within us to think and act
independently, rowing against strong currents when necessary? This would be one
step to a truly brighter future.
