Grumpy_Old_Man, they don't render whale oil for retail sale any more, you have to harvest your own. I recommend staking out Presidential debates for an excellent source of whale oil.

"Thar she blows!"

Janesvillean: In answer to your question about the Monroe plant, I emailed a press information guy for Philips who could provide no information, not even contacts to a Monroe plant. I then turned to Mary Jane Grenzow, editor of our sister paper, The Monroe Times. She says Philips sold that plant, which made ballasts, in 2004, and it's now known as Orchid International and does metal fabrication.
Greg Peck

I get bulbsd on ebay- 1/4 of the price int he store.
I dont like LED so I guess I will still be killing the environment.(halogens vs led)
Regular bulbs inside too because the light and look of the "efficient ones" are not nice.
CFLs in my chandeliers- NOT!

I'm ok with the new bulbs - if they save you money, and work like they say, the market will dictate price/demand. Rational people want to save money on their energy (or at least feel like they are). I just absolutely do not agree with the government telling us what we can and can not buy. Let the free market dictate the product. If it's good - people will buy it and change their ways. The government shouldn't force us to do what it thinks is right. JMO

I'm also going to start stockpiling incandescent bulbs. I hate CFLs. I would never pay $60 for a light bulb. I don't even want to pay $7. It's ridiculous that the government is regulating this.

$5.00

Fluorescent lamps have always contained mercury, they won't work without it. Especially the old T12 4' and 8' tubes that are still out there humming. The thinner T8 tubes use less mercury, but it's still there.

Up until just the past few years, laptops, flat screen TV's and monitors also used fluorescent back-lighting making them a major waste mercury hazard.

These devices have switched to LED back-lighting, and why not. It's cheaper, more reliable, and less toxic.

LED lighting has reached the auto industry. LED's are fast, use less energy, and don't have a filament to break from vibration.

If you have driven Cty Y between JNS and Milton lately, you would be glad to have LED lights on your vehicle...I can barely keep my glasses on my head because I'm getting more miles up and down than forward...where are our road maintenance taxes being spent anyway?

For CFL brightness equivalence, use the one-third rule for sizing CFL's, a 20W=60W worth of light, 23W=75, etc. It's not perfect, but close enough.

LED lighting really is the future. It's inexpensive in production, not affected by mechanical vibration, harsh temperatures, and they are very fast. Be patient, the prices will drop.

It's time to reduce our dependence on foreign whale oil, (thank you for that laugh Grumpy), switch to LED lighting as soon as practical.

Switching over to LED lighting will take some time for acceptance.

As evidence, I point out that turn signals on cars have been around since the 1930's, but eighty years later have only reached about 60% usage.

Have a day everyone :)

ampman...I think "What light bulb you buy is an indication of {GE's} future", not mine.
I just hope some of my (few) retirement fund dollars are invested in those companies who benefit greatly ($$$) from those government regulations (all the while whining about government regulations).

Lincoln - sorry the computer light was fading.

I want to be energy-conscious like good tree-hugging yuppies but is it worth it? I sat down and analyzed this conundrum, counting the number of sockets in my home and considered the time use for each bulb. The initial costs, even with the "special" discounts would be $5,750. The savings over 20 years, assuming the cost of electricity remains constant, would be $7,360. Thus, I would profit $1,610 for that 20 year effort. But I suspect that even more efficient lighting will be invented in the near future. However, I think a more reasonable response to this problem would be to shut off all the lights at night and read by the light of my computer much as Abe Lincoln did when he was reading by firelight. Another consideration is that I would lose the value of the light bulbs that I currently own and would throw away ($230) and they would pollute the often- burning landfill site. I'm no Abe lincoln but will know enough to duck this environmental issue in the future.

ampman, I choose "netter". I don't know what that is but is probably better than putting more mercury in waste footprint.

In general the typical consumer can't deal with things that take time to show their benefits or bad consequences, such as investment for retirement, effects of mercury, lead, fast food, lack of exercise etc...The effects only show when it's too late to do anything about them, such as old age poverty, old age sicknesses, Alzeihmer etc...

Most Americans retire broke, sick, and die prematurely. Will you be one of those? or one of the 2% who live netter in retirement than while working.

What light bulb you buy is an indication of your future.

lovemycountry: do the same for the fish you catch. Siilly.

It is a shame that the CFL industry did not do a better job of explaining these things. First of all, if you want the equivalent light of a 60 watt incandescent bulb (as an example), find a CFL bulb that is labeled as the equivalent of a 75 watt incandescent. Same with a 100. Buy a 125 watt equivalent.

There are also newer CFL bulbs that light up right away and do not have much of a warmup. Outdoor bulbs will typically take a bit to warm up.

The new LEDs may in fact last forever, but be forewarned. The electronics may be damaged in a surge. In the end, new LED bulbs will come down in price and eventually replace the CFLs. Use a LED bulb in places where you need a bit of light like a night light.

As for the mercury issue. The amount in one bulb is indeed extremely small and in gas form. It disperses in the air as the other comment indicated.

Janesvillean writes sweep up a broken CFL containing mercury. However, the EPA says "Never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will break the mercury into smaller droplets and spread them." Here are the actual EPA directions to clean up a broken CFL.
Please keep in mind the only reason incandescent bulbs were (temporarily) made illegal is because of GE lobbying - they weren't making any money on them, needed to sell CFLs.
-
Cleaning Up a Broken CFL
What to Do if a CFL Breaks in Your Home

Before Cleanup

Have people and pets leave the room.
Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb:
stiff paper or cardboard;
sticky tape;
damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces); and
a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealable plastic bag.

During Cleanup

DO NOT VACUUM. Vacuuming is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. Vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor.
Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.

After Cleanup

Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
Next, check with your local government about disposal requirements in your area, because some localities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center. If there is no such requirement in your area, you can dispose of the materials with your household trash.
If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

► Actions you can take to prevent broken compact fluorescent light bulbs

► Information from other sources relating to the accidental breakage of CFLs

Why is it important to clean up a broken CFL properly?

CFLs and other fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. When a fluorescent bulb breaks in your home, some of this mercury is released as mercury vapor. To minimize exposure to mercury vapor, EPA recommends that residents follow the cleanup and disposal steps described on this page.

I would not make a big deal out of buying a light bulb. If it were me I would buy one just like the one that burned out and go on to something else.

Greg, since your "motion" lights only turn on when they detect motion, and not at all in daylight, your CFL bulbs won't save you much since they won't be on more than an hour a night and probably less. Furthermore, CFL bulbs aren't designed for repeated on/off cycling, which "motion" lights often do such as on windy nights. So you can expect those CFL's to have a shorter than guaranteed life out there. Worse still, CFL's used outside in cold weather take a lot of time to warm up to full brilliance, probably longer than the motion detector will keep them on, which also shortens their life. For that application, you'd be much better off with halogen or even incandescent bulbs. And those $50 lamps probably will suffer from exposure to the weather that will make them inappropriate for that application as well. Even though you'll have to change them once a year or so,there are still applications that suit incandescent and halogen lamps best.

Hey bleeder...don't let your kids eat cfl bulbs...then, "just think of how safe the kids will be".

When incandescent bulbs become outlawed, only outlaws will have incandescent bulbs! CFL's containing a deadly product like mercury should either be highly regulated, or completely banned. Mercury is a killer of children and pets! Read the signs near Lake Michigan about eating the fish out of the lake - it should be eaten in limited amounts due to the amount of mercury the fish contains. Banning mercury containing CFL's should keep this great state from losing anymore of those endangered butterflies/turtles/birds. Plus, just think of how safe the kids will be.

Mercury does not eat tissue. Mercury amalgams are still sometimes used in dentistry! The worry with mercury is heavy metal toxicity, which can cause physical tics and erratic personality changes. Formerly mercury was used in the production of hats and this is where the phrase "mad as a hatter" comes from. The amount of mercury in a bulb is minuscule by comparison; still, you should not ingest it.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?...

twinkiepied: http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2008/09/04/...

Most posters are either not serious or don't know how to figure out their cost of lighting

I use >10 hrs a day a desk/office light. An LED or CFL in my case recovers my first cost in less than a year.

Of course if you only turn the light on 2-4 hrs a day, it takes longer to recover your first cost , but then the bulb would last 30+ years.

So it pays to buy long-lasting LED bulbs. I got them from a California company. That also helps create US jobs.

I received an email showing a foot cut with the cfl glass lightbulb-YUCK!! I think it said the mercury ate the tissue. Awefull sight.

Mercury in CFLs are relatively harmless. You probably consume more mercury eating fish. Break a bulb? Just air out the room.

Greg, since you're interested in this, can you verify that the Philips light bulb is made in Monroe? That's the only Philips facility (contractor/supplier?) in Wisconsin, and many press releases have stated it is being made in Wisconsin. But nothing has stated the exact location.
.
I always love a story where everyone comments on how advanced technology is stupid, on an INTERNET website. I have to wonder if you people are using internal combustion computers. When you really get your rants going, does your home office fill up with smoke?
.
packrat, the CFL does have a weakness for short-cycle applicatons, but the LED bulbs don't. It is likely that LED prices will decline quickly as the manufacturing volume and market improve.
.
Joe_McC, utilities subsidize bulb purchases because it means they have to build fewer power plants, which saves their customers and investors money in the long run.
.
To recycle CFL bulbs, simply take them to a local retailer that will accept them. ACE Hardware is one. It's really not that hard, and even though we have a lot of CFL bulbs in multiple buildings, I only need to do this a couple of times a year. The other option is the Rock County hazardous waste collection. In the event of a breakage in your house, the important thing is to NOT VACUUM -- just sweep it up, put it in a plastic grocery bag, and put that in the trash.

No more than a buck , the new bulbs are in my opinion a joke.

I'm still frustrated I can't find a retailer for whale oil. Paid good money for those lamps back in the day.

"Commercial customers will pay $60, but the maker, Philips, will discount it to $50 for consumers."

Oh, yes, and the commercial customers are going to absorb the $20 to $30 per bulb. Not on your life. That cost will be absorbed by their prices.

"Philips also is working on deals with utilities to discount it further, by as much as $20 or $30, the story said."

Oh, yes, and the utilities are going to absorb the $20 to $30 per bulb. Not on your life. That cost will be absorbed by their rate.

This light bulb fiasco is nothing more than another loss of personal choice mandated by government.

Don't get me wrong, I use CFL's in many lights within our home - lights that stay ON for a long duration so I may realize a savings.

However, short cycle lights (ie: garage, closet, etc) are much better served by standard light bulbs. Instant brightness, short time on, then off. CFL's take way too much time to come to brightness and the short cycle cannot possibly be economical.

Frustrating at best...

I will be stocking up on the great old-fashioned light bulbs before they are no longer on the market. Can't stand the limited light of the new ones. Technology will improve and prices will come down eventually--hopefully by the time my personal inventory runs out!

Nothing beats a nice 100watt bulb (3-pack) for $1.98. Just turn the lights off when not in use, and the bulbs will last longer.

Ya it last 6 years under the "ideal conditions"...which no light bulb outdoors ever sees. However most the ones ive tried dont last 1 year, even indoors. The flourescent spiral bulbs dont give off near the amount of light either. I think they suck.

But not for $60! This is another Obama failure, which the contract/bid started on his watch.

Well first I would take my age into consideration, if my projected life is only going to be 10 more years then I might pay $10.00, but if that number was 20 years or greater then I might pay the full price.