Wouldn’t it be nice to have an option of purchasing a shatterproof CFL light bulb, so in case the bulb breaks the mercury stays contained within the bulb? Even though Environmental Protection Agency issued a thorough clean up procedure for mercury spills including broken CFL bulbs, many consumers still have concerns with using CFL bulbs in their house. I happen to share this concern since I have a toddler, a dog, a cat and an oblivious husband!
So is there a solution?
Many have concern with using CFL light bulbs because of the mercury found inside the bulb. CFL bulbs contain about 3.5-5 milligrams of mercury. Mercury is used to ignite the phosphorus particles inside the bulb in order to create the light.
But when looking at it objectively, what carries a higher risk for the mercury exposure using CFL or incandescent lights?
It’s a hot topic of the day, should I go ahead and replace all my house lights with CFLs? How much money will I have to spend upfront? How much energy will I save a month?
Basically, is it worth doing?
My next-door neighbor invested in new LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights this Christmas season. So I started thinking whether we should do the same. I decided to do my own financial analysis comparing the initial cost, energy cost and the replacement cost between the two kinds of lights. By the way, the inspiration for this analysis came from Jessica Knows who is running a Nickelodeon Holiday Money Saving Contest for $500 Wal-Mart gift certificate. (I hope I win!!)