Why I’m not replacing any incandescent bulbs in my house with compact flourescent bulbs:
How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent lightbulb? About $4.28 for the bulb and labor — unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about $2,004.28, which doesn’t include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health.
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Aware that CFLs contain potentially hazardous substances (i.e. mercury), Bridges called her local Home Depot for advice. The store told her that the CFL contained mercury and that she should call the Poison Control hotline, which in turn directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Steven Milloy calculates that it will take 11 years of energy savings for Ms. Bridges to recoup the cleanup cost. That assumes she doesn’t break any more CFL bulbs in the meantime.
No thanks. I think I’ll wait for LED bulb technology to get better before I go out to replace my incandescent bulbs.