SO like everyone I fell on the CFL bandwagon . Save a ton of electricity , reduce mercury emissions from power stations , blah , blah ......

If you really look into they are not something you really want in your house . How many times have you had one break on the floor? I have had more then a few . Read this -

Compact Fluorescent Lamp Study Report, Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm)

and this

New CFL Breakage Clean-Up Guidance - Mercury Policy Project - Promoting policies to eliminate mercury use and reduce mercury exposure (http://mercurypolicy.org/?p=103).

How many of you are planning on having kids or already have young ones? I have one on the way ! Sheet freaks me out !

So after reading this and all the info , I have wanted to switch . Check out Lowes , they have a nice sice L.E.D. light section . Sure some are really expensive , but some are decent . I've snagged some of the 7.5 w , brighter then a 22w cfl! The brand is utilitech pro . They are $15 a pop , but last 25, 000 hours. Shop Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent Indoor Warm White LED Light Bulb at Lowes.com (http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=338802-75774-LA19DM%2fLED&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3341246&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1)


Meanwhile the government recommends using cfl's until a safer alternative becomes available , and they ban incandescent bulbs.....

Yeah, isn't amazing that you heard all the hoopla about the CFL lights and how they're good for the environment, save energy, blah, blah, blah....
What they NEVER, EVER disclosed to the public in these "go-green" ads was that they should not be disposed of like regular bulbs, and that each bulb contains mercury.
I am in the process of replacing all the ones in our house with regular lights.
If I get the chance, I would love to find the A-hole that pushed for this "go green" BS and kick them squarely in the nuggets!

It apparently was just a ploy to make money, plain and simple.

I've been replacing my incandescent bulbs with CFLs as they need replacing. I appreciate using only 24W for the same amount of light as a regular 100W bulb and also not getting all the heat. I have CFLs that are 6 or 7 years old. Stopped using them outside though because you only get one winter out of them.

When LEDs bulbs come down in price and they figure out a way to disperse the light more effectively, I'll switch over to those. I do own a couple LEDs that I use for directional light but they still have a ways to go.

The LED's might be expensive now but they are coming down in price rapidly. The return on investment on the LED's is worth it. A "reputable" manufacturer such as GE, Philips, Sylvania, Cree, will get you approx 100,000 hours of lamp life. Do the math. How many 13W CF, and A lamps are you changing every 2-3 years? The real return is in commercial applications such as schools, manufacturers, ect.