If you have been paying attention over the past few years, you are no doubt aware of the recent prevalence of compact fluorescent light bulbs (which are otherwise known as CFLs). Most people who are very environmentally friendly use them for most of their lighting needs. But some other people are still on the fence a bit. After all, there is the popular notion that CFL bulbs are not as bright as their more common incandescent brethren are. And not to mention the fact that CFL bulbs are typically a few times as expensive as incandescents, and the fact that they generally contain a little bit of mercury in them. Is it even legal to throw away a CFL bulb when it eventually burns out?
For starters, the idea that a CFL bulb is going to be dimmer than an incandescent bulb is just silly. While many of these kinds of bulbs are a bit less bright, it has nothing whatsoever to do with their voltage. What it does have to do with is their lumens, which are the measurement of light. You can buy CFL bulbs that come in just as many lumens as any kind of incandescent bulbs do, so the entire issue is completely moot.
Of course, there are still the two issues of cost and safety. While there are trace amounts of mercury in many kinds of CFL bulbs, it is typically contained safely as long as the bulb is not broken. If one does happen to break, you should leave the area for 20 minutes or so, just to be on the safe side. Of course, in many of the higher quality CFL bulbs, the mercury is all stored in the base (which is less likely to break), or there is none. As for the difference in price, consider longevity. If the CFL bulb lasts four times as long, but it only costs 50 percent more, that’s a good deal.