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Frequently Asked Questions about Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) Where can I take my burnt out CFLs in the Chequamegon Bay? · Ace Hardware in Ashland and Bayfield · Ashland True Value Hardware · Ashland Wal-Mart · Ashland Radio Shack/Omer Nelson Electric · Ashland Public Works—$ 0.40 fee per bulb · Bad River Waste Management Shouldn’t I wait to replace my old bulbs until they burn out? No. If you’re worried about wasting a “perfectly good bulb,” realize that it will go to a landfill anyway, so it doesn’t matter when it gets there. What you should think about conserving is the amount of coal that burns at our power plant for that bulb. Four times less is burned (and so four times less CO2 enters our atmosphere) with CFLs than incandescent bulbs, so you will reduce the use of fossil fuels, as well as your electric bill! Can I use them outside, like for my porch lights? The CFLs we hand out turn on slower in freezing temperatures, but that shouldn’t matter if you only use your porch light for security purposes. If you have enclosed light fixtures for your porch, those create a barrier from the cold air and should help the bulb burn just as brightly as in warmer weather. How many watts are the bulbs that you are giving out? The bulbs we give out in Ashland are brightness-equivalent to a 75 watt incandescent bulb, but they only use 20 watts of power. Other areas in the Chequamegon region will receive two 60 watts, which will use even less power. Aren’t CFLs more expensive than the old light bulbs? When you purchase them at the store, they cost a little bit more than the old bulbs. However, most stores give 2 dollar rebates, which lower the cost significantly. Then, because they use so much less electricity, each bulb can save you up to $44 in energy costs in its lifetime! Can I use CFLs in my three way lamps or dimmers? The CFLs we give out at doors shouldn’t be put in dimmers or three way lamps, as that will make the bulbs burn out early in their lifetime, and it could possibly be a fire hazard. However, some companies have CFLs specially made for dimmers, three way lamps, cold weather, and even those fancy candle-shaped bulbs. Check your favorite light bulb manufacturer’s website and go from there. How long do these CFLs last? The CFLs we give out last about 8,000 hours each. So if you use your bulb for an average of 5 hours a day, it should last you about 4 years. Many will last longer than that. Do CFLs contain mercury? Yes. However, the actual amount is negligible, much less than the amount in a watch battery. Health risk from a broken CFL bulb is basically nonexistent. By using CFLs instead of incandescent bulbs, about four to five times less mercury is released into the air (per bulb) from coal power plants. If a CFL bulb breaks, do I need to call a special team to clean it up? No! Here’s how to clean it up: Open a window or door and leave the room for at least 15 minutes. Any mercury vapor that is in the room will ventilate to the outdoors. Do not vacuum right away. Vacuuming will spread any mercury vapor that is in the room to other areas. Opening windows and doors first should get rid of this vapor. If the bulb breaks on a hard surface - Collect the pieces as you would any broken bulb using a broom and two pieces of cardboard or stiff paper. Do not use a metal dustpan because the mercury will stick to it. Place the broken pieces in a plastic bag. A damp disposable rag or paper towel should be used to do a final wipe of the area. Place the rag or paper towel in the bag with the broken bulb pieces, seal it and throw it in the trash. For a break on carpeting or other soft items- Collect and bag the broken parts using the above steps. Use the sticky side of duct tape or packaging tape to pick any remaining powder and pieces of glass. Put the tape in the bag. Seal the bag and throw it away in the trash. Carpeting will trap more mercury than hard surfaces. Keep people and pets off the carpeting for a couple of weeks in case there are any small pieces of glass left. By then, any mercury vapor should be gone and the carpeting can be safely vacuumed. Change the vacuum cleaner bag or empty its dust cup after vacuuming the area. This information and more can be found at: http://michigan.gov/dopcuments/mdch/CFL_Fact_Sheet_193840_7.pdf
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