There has been some talk about weather or not it really is a good idea to replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) because of the mercury content in CFLs. First lets talk about the wonders of CFLs. They give off little heat, unlike incandescent bulbs that give off 90 percent of their energy in heat; they may cost more money upfront, but because of their longevity they should end up saving you $30 or more over it’s lifetime; and lastly they contain a very little amount of mercury, and even still they result in less mercury emissions than incandescents. Reason being is that for the average incandescent light bulb to run there inevitably will be a coal-fired plant that will emit around 13.6 mg of mercury, unlike a CFL which only takes around 3.4 mg to power. If you add the 3.4 mg’s to the 5 mg’s of mercury that the average CFL contains, you are still far below the 13.6 mg emitted by the incandescent. Of course, you do have to dispose of your CFL in a proper place, which might take a little time on your part, but you can call your municipal waste company to find out local options, or if you live near an IKEA you can take it there to dispose.

Another option to consider is LED lights, or light-emitting diode lights. These lights are completely mercury free and last up to 50 times longer than your old incandescent bulbs, and it doesn’t get any sweeter then that! These new lights are becoming more and more popular and you can easily find them at stores like Home Depot and Wal-mart, and you can even find LED Christmas lights (which use about 90 percent less energy than incandescents) and LED reading lamps. So, to answer the question, YES, replace those bulbs, it is much better for the environment and will save you money in the long run!

Check out the Energy Star website page on CFL’s at www.energystar.gov/cfls, which gives you all the information you might need on disposal of broken CFL’s, as well as statistics, energy savings calculators and the best places to purchase your new bulbs!

Check this light options out!

1. Sunwave bulb 26W:  If you are looking for a CFL that closely resembles sunlight, this is the bulb for you.  It is compatible with most household fixtures and lamps and has an equivalent strength of a 75 watts incandescent bulb.  And as a plus, this bulb is also flicker free and has a life expectancy of about 10,000 hours!  Cool!  $25 at gaiam.com

15W Dimmable CFL:  If you have overhead dimmers in your home these are the perfect compliment.  The range of light intensity this bulb gives off is appealing as well as the the fact that the size fits almost anywear, since it is a bit shorter than most bulbs! $10.38 at 1000bulbs.com

E27-x36-G LED bulb:Since LED bulbs are going to be the up and coming,  I looked for the most affordable 60 watt comparable light but it will run aobut 50 times longer than a regular incandescent 60 watt bulb.  This  LED will last up to 50,000 hours, yes, 50,000 this is not a typo.  And best of all, if you kept this light on for 12 hours each day for an entire year, your total cost would only be a couple of dollars.  This model is great for reading lamps and portch lights. $9.95 at Superbrightleds.com

G22 5W High Power LED Bulb, Globe White:  OK, for a step above in LED lighting, this bulb takes the cake.  It can be used with any voltage and produces they very brightest LED light I have found.  You can get it in pure white or warm white, it lasts 50,000 hours as well, and it is Unbreakable!!! $39.95 at besthomeledlighting.com