Stupid Compact Fluorescents

Every once in a while, I try to save energy and landfill space by purchasing compact fluorescent lightbulbs. What a waste!

Replacing regular bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs is supposed actually to be cheaper by their lasting longer and by their using a lot less energy. Instead of using 60 watts, these bulbs are supposed use only 15 watts but provide as much light as a 60 watt bulb. (They don't waste much energy by heating up very much.) They are supposed to last 8000 hours instead of the 1000 hours my regular (incandescent) bulbs claim to last. I do notice the light has a funny color to it, a bit of a flicker, and it doesn't come on at full intensity; it works it way up to it. Those things really aren't a problem, though.

These fluorescent bulbs cost a lot more. I think a 3-pack might cost around $8. Sometimes I can get a 4-pack of regular bulbs for $1. The fluorescent bulbs are supposed to be cheaper in the long run because they use so much less energy and they last so long (also fewer bulbs in the landfill since they last longer). At the surface, these sound like a fantastic idea for a lot of applications.

The first time I tried using a fluorescent bulb was for my lamp in my livingroom that was on a timer. Since it was consistently on for hours every day, I figured it was an excellent choice. Unfortunately, that lamp was on an end table. It got tipped over by the kids occasionally and by me each time I dusted in the corner. Usually a regular bulb survived the tipping over. If not, replacing it was very cheap. I went through three compact fluorescent bulbs before giving up because the whole idea was just too expensive.

I did hope to find another place to put them, though. Finally I decided to try using them in the overhead light in our family room. For some reason, the fixture there heats up more than it should, significantly shortening the life of regular bulbs. We spend a lot of time in that room, and I did find the dimmer-seeming light a little unpleasant, but I decided to live with it. Things were working fine, but although the bulbs did last longer than regular bulbs, one did finally burn out. My husband, being helpful, replaced the bulb. Apparently he didn't realized that he should replace the compact fluorescent bulb with another one, so now it's back with incandescent bulbs until it burns out at a time when I change the bulb, and I have compact fluorescents around the house.

Next, when a light just outside my son's bedroom door that he insists must be on all night (and often all day because he forgets to shut it off) burned out, I thought that would be an excellent chance to try another compact fluorescent bulb. It's in a fixture so it wouldn't get knocked over, and it receives a lot of use. Well, I took one up to replace the old, only to find it wouldn't fit in the fixture. I hadn't realized this, but my compact fluorescent bulb was slightly longer than a normal incandescent bulb. This fixture was clearly designed for an incandescent bulb. I put in a regular bulb and returned the unused compact fluorescent to the cupboard in which I keep my lightbulbs.

I've been thinking of another place to put a fluorescent bulb. The main bathroom in my house is pretty much across the hall from my daughters' bedroom. My older daughter insists that she won't use the bathroom in the night, but will just pee in bed, if I don't leave the bathroom light on all night. It is also in a fixture so that it won't get tipped over. A bulb in that fixture burned out this morning, and I grabbed the bulb that wouldn't fit in my son's fixture. I screwed it in, but it wouldn't come on. I took it to a lamp in my bedroom to test it, and it still wouldn't come on. I guess it broke somehow during storage or when I tried to fit it into my son's fixture. I tossed the bulb into the trash and wished I hadn't paid so much for it since I never even got to use it. I found another 3-pack of fluorescent bulbs in my bulb cupboard, and I put it into the fixture in my bathroom. It works fine.

I'm probably a fool to keep trying to switch over to these environmentally friendlier bulbs since it costs me a lot of money, but I'm afraid to admit I'll keep trying.