fume711
12-19-2007, 01:47 PM
Summary:
Since most of us have CFL light bulbs in our homes, thought this was a nice article that talked about why change your old incandescent light bulbs to cfl, the price savings, the lighting options (no more bright white colors, they have soft white too!!), dimmer and 3-way CFL light bulbs, and more importantly, disposal and cleanup after breaking it!
The incandescent light bulb, one of the most venerable inventions of its era but deemed too inefficient for our own, will be phased off the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under the new energy law just approved by Congress.
thought the following was most important as you don't want to spread or breathe in mercury vapors!
http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/fluorescent.htm
What if I accidentally break a fluorescent bulb in my home?
fluorescent bulbs
The most important thing to remember is to NEVER!!! use a vacuum . A standard vacuum will spread mercury containing dust throughout the area as well as potentially contaminating the vacuum. What you should do is:
* Keep people and pets away from the breakage area so that the mercury in the powder inside the bulb is not accidentally tracked into other areas.
* Ventilate the area by opening windows.
* Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as rubber gloves, safety glasses, old clothing or coveralls, and a dust mask (if you have one) to keep bulb dust and glass from being inhaled.
* Carefully remove the larger pieces and place them in a secure closed container, preferably a glass container with a metal screw top and gasket seal like a canning jar.
* Next, begin collecting the smaller pieces and dust. You can use a disposable broom and dustpan or two stiff pieces of paper to scoop up pieces.
* Put all material into the glass container. Pat the area with the sticky side of duct, packing or masking tape. Wipe the area with a damp cloth or paper towels to pick up fine particles.
* Put all waste and materials used to clean up the bulb in the glass container and label it “Universal Waste - broken lamp”.
* Take the container for recycling as universal waste. To determine where your town has made arrangements for recycling of this type of waste, call your town office or check out the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website at http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/hazardouswaste/uwmunicipalmaster.xls
The next time you replace a bulb, consider putting a drop cloth on the floor so that any accidental breakage can be easily cleaned up.
Right now, you can return any CFL to any Ikea store for recycling, and the Environmental Protection Agency and Earth911 have sites you can search for other recycling programs near your home.
read here for a lot more info
http://biz.yahoo.com/usnews/071219/19_faq_the_end_of_the_light_bulb_as_we_know_it.htm l?.v=1&.pf=banking-budgeting
How do I save money, when a CFL costs six times as much as an old-fashioned bulb? Each cone-shaped spiral CFL costs about $3, compared with 50 cents for a standard bulb. But a CFL uses about 75 percent less energy and lasts five years instead of a few months. A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity. Look at your utility bill and imagine a 12 percent discount to estimate the savings.
Since most of us have CFL light bulbs in our homes, thought this was a nice article that talked about why change your old incandescent light bulbs to cfl, the price savings, the lighting options (no more bright white colors, they have soft white too!!), dimmer and 3-way CFL light bulbs, and more importantly, disposal and cleanup after breaking it!
The incandescent light bulb, one of the most venerable inventions of its era but deemed too inefficient for our own, will be phased off the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under the new energy law just approved by Congress.
thought the following was most important as you don't want to spread or breathe in mercury vapors!
http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/fluorescent.htm
What if I accidentally break a fluorescent bulb in my home?
fluorescent bulbs
The most important thing to remember is to NEVER!!! use a vacuum . A standard vacuum will spread mercury containing dust throughout the area as well as potentially contaminating the vacuum. What you should do is:
* Keep people and pets away from the breakage area so that the mercury in the powder inside the bulb is not accidentally tracked into other areas.
* Ventilate the area by opening windows.
* Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as rubber gloves, safety glasses, old clothing or coveralls, and a dust mask (if you have one) to keep bulb dust and glass from being inhaled.
* Carefully remove the larger pieces and place them in a secure closed container, preferably a glass container with a metal screw top and gasket seal like a canning jar.
* Next, begin collecting the smaller pieces and dust. You can use a disposable broom and dustpan or two stiff pieces of paper to scoop up pieces.
* Put all material into the glass container. Pat the area with the sticky side of duct, packing or masking tape. Wipe the area with a damp cloth or paper towels to pick up fine particles.
* Put all waste and materials used to clean up the bulb in the glass container and label it “Universal Waste - broken lamp”.
* Take the container for recycling as universal waste. To determine where your town has made arrangements for recycling of this type of waste, call your town office or check out the Maine Department of Environmental Protection website at http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/hazardouswaste/uwmunicipalmaster.xls
The next time you replace a bulb, consider putting a drop cloth on the floor so that any accidental breakage can be easily cleaned up.
Right now, you can return any CFL to any Ikea store for recycling, and the Environmental Protection Agency and Earth911 have sites you can search for other recycling programs near your home.
read here for a lot more info
http://biz.yahoo.com/usnews/071219/19_faq_the_end_of_the_light_bulb_as_we_know_it.htm l?.v=1&.pf=banking-budgeting
How do I save money, when a CFL costs six times as much as an old-fashioned bulb? Each cone-shaped spiral CFL costs about $3, compared with 50 cents for a standard bulb. But a CFL uses about 75 percent less energy and lasts five years instead of a few months. A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity. Look at your utility bill and imagine a 12 percent discount to estimate the savings.