CFLs and LEDs are overrated. And in terms of older versions of Windows, the NSA has a lot less connections to them.

I want to save the planet, but fluorescents make me anxious! What do I do?

Don’t forget that incandescents start losing brightness from the beginning. You might get speedier times to full brightness, but full brightness drops over time.

I watched your video. It shovels a large dose of BS. IMHO.

It makes a huge deal about using CFLs in places where they are going to get turned on and off a lot and barely mentions how much energy save in “normal” use.

It seems to assume that all the mercury in the bulb will be release into the environment rather than recycled.

It makes crazy claims about the price of CFLs rising to $12 each when there are no more incandescents to provide competition. I don’t believe there are any US federal government subsidies for CFLs and I can buy them for less than $1 each without any utility company subsidy. Just look on Amazon.
I’d say that your video was funded by someone with an agenda and is significantly short on science….

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls_color

http://www.ledtronics.com/Products/ProductsDetails.aspx?WP=88&gclid=COXr28Pj9K8CFQ4zhwod-VpaYg

Another hidden benefit… those switching to a consumer owned solar PV rooftop will find they can use the “extra” watts to charge their electric vehicle battery. Leaving much more power to sell back to the utility.

In other words, you’re ignorant and unaware of the awesome new LED lights on the block.

So, go ahead, smuggle your precious light bulbs back from wherever you can find them.

Fact is, much of the rest of the world has already given up on incandescents. I can’t say that I’ve seen a single incandescent bulb in Asia during the last 10+ years. Same is true for the parts of South and Central America I’ve visited.

The handful of folks like you aren’t likely to keep anyone manufacturing alive for long.

Sooner or later you’ll die. Whomever takes your place on Earth is not likely to be as much of a dunderhead….

Weasel words. What is their actual average lifespan? As with everything, there’s a probability curve. There are also bulbs that last much longer than the average. Certainly if you buy cheap, low-end stuff you’re bound to have more early failures.

“Also, there are about 4 billion bulbs in the US. that is 4 billion potential sources of mercury contamination.”

Potential ≠ actual. How many CFL bulbs actually get broken? How much of that mercury actually ends up in the environment?

“It is not trivia. A tiny amount of mercury can ruin your brain/nervous system.”

It’s certainly trivial compared to the amount spewed out by coal-burning power plants. reducing the need for coal will remove far more mercury from the environment than CFL’s add, even accounting for a percentage that get broken or not not recycled properly. And if you’re really worried about your own personal safety, there’s always LED’s.

“There are many other factors to consider. Some people can not tolerate fluorescent light of any kind. Halogens produce tremendous heat.”

Then the very small percentage of the population who have those concerns should buy something else. The vastly larger regular population can use CFL’s with no problems.

“Also the current offering of alternative lighting is often inadequate, confusing and expensive.”

Inadequate? Maybe. I suppose it depends on the area and the actual needs of the individual consumer. Confusing? Certainly. But that’s because it’s a relatively new area of technology. The standards are still being worked out and consumers still need to be educated.

Expensive? There’s a whole article right at the top of the page demonstrating where the real costs lie.

“This is from someone who uses NO incandescent bulbs anywhere.”

If that’s true, from the tone of your post, it appears that you like sitting in the dark.

I installed them after being wildly impressed by the waterproof tape light I used in my bathroom installation about 18 months ago. It uses under 50w, puts out almost 1500 lumens, and not a single person walks in and doesn’t say my bathroom lights look cool.

CFL if you must, LED if you can, but incandescents are just last century’s tech.

Secondly, I always get sick of hearing the argument that “CFL’s produce a poorer quality of light”. I’ve never noticed it, and even if they do (apparently), why should we have to stop the progress in increasing our energy efficiency if the light isn’t as warm/cool as you’d like it? It’s an argument made by selfish idiots.