Quote:
Originally Posted by SRoper  It's a good point, Eric. I think the emerging lighting technologies (maybe not CFL, but possibly LED) are going to be found to be superior, and there will be no need for government coercion. |
I hope that will be the case. My own experience with CFLs is not so happy. I've tried them twice, in different fixtures. The first one started emitting an awful smelling epoxy smoke after 6 hours of use, dripping smoldering plastic onto the kitchen sink.
Did I mention the foul smell? It was the worst sort of smoke I'd ever smelled. Also, I had to replace the fixture holding the bulb because it warped from the heat.
The other one lasted for about 4 months before dying. It was a premium brand. I figured my energy savings from that bulb paid for around 2% of its cost.
I like LED technology. I cobbled together 30 little white LEDs about 6 years ago for a reading lamp. It uses hardly any power and is easy on the eyes.
BTW, I think the mercury aspect is something of a red herring. But that's probably because I used to play with it as a kid, rolling it around the floor and picking it up. No question the fumes are toxic, but I think the EPA haz-mat regs are typically way over the top.