Ditching CFLs and replacing them with LED lights in your office
by Jenn Hardy on Jul 20 at 12:00 am
(Photo by AZAdam)
Alone for most of the day in my home office, I am pretty lucky to get a decent amount of sunlight through my window during these summer months. My office plants are grateful for the sun too. But, like many small business owners, I sometimes work into the night and need a little unnatural light to help me out.
Like every environmentally conscious person, I only have CFL lights installed around my apartment. CFLs are the curly “environmentally friendly” light bulbs that have become more and more popular over the last couple years.
I had the good fortune of recently connecting with Geeta Nadkarni, a journalist in Montreal who is also a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC).
Talking on the phone with her, somehow the subject of CFLs came up. She very passionately gave me her well-researched spiel and left me to do a little of my own research. That research included first watching the news clip she made for her column Be Green on CBC Montreal.
Basically, the gist of Geeta’s argument is that these lights are not environmentally friendly, and they certainly aren’t good for our health. “There is mercury in these bulbs that requires very delicate handling,” she told me. “There are so many steps to be taken when you dispose of CFLs, and most people don’t realize that.”
Health-wise, what is of greatest concern to Geeta, is the “dirty electricity” that they disperse into our offices/homes. These lights can cause interference with the electrical fields of our bodies and can cause burns on our skin if we are sitting too close.
If you have CFLs in your office, Geeta’s advice is to bring them to a recycling centre (don’t just throw them out!) Replace them with incandescent light bulbs (though the government is set to ban these in 2012.) Or, even better, she says, LED lights.
LED lights are very energy efficient, last a very long time, and unlike CFLs, they are virtually unbreakable.
“We are, with LEDs now, where we were with CFLs five years ago,” she says.
It’s a simple case of supply and demand. If we track down LED lights for home and office use then in a matter of time they will be more readily available.
Want to get some LED lights for your small business? Here’s a start at where to find them.
Jenn Hardy is a Montreal-based freelance journalist, blogger, photographer and small business owner. She writes about everything from business and politics to arts and agriculture. She is on the executive of the Quebec Chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada, and her work has appeared in numerous major publications across the Canada. She would love to tweet with you @jennhardy.
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Warren B
Aug 10th, 2010
But we sit under banks and banks of fluorescent tubes in offices and retail outlets all day every day without having the electrical fields of our bodies thrown out of tune.
I think the energy savings of CFLs greatly outweigh the risk of "burns" or murcury. After all, generating electricity with coal to light those incandescents also releases murcury into the environment.
But agreed…LED's are the way of the future.
Mark Glucki
Aug 10th, 2010
Thanks for the comments, Warren. I wonder how the banks of fluorescents actually do affect us though. It would be interesting to see the EMF field test in an office setting. I sit under fluorescents almost everyday while at the office, too. Either way, I'm avoiding CFLs in my home office and will look ahead to LEDs.
Jenn Hardy
Sep 1st, 2010
Warren, that's a really great point. One I hadn't considered when writing the post. A CFL light contains 4 – 5 milligrams of mercury. While that is less than what is in our fillings or watch batteries, it's still a potentially dangerous amount if a bulb is broken. And bulbs are made of glass, so it's bound to happen!
I was so freaked out about what I learned (and I felt a little betrayed) that I did switch all my bulbs back to incandescents. Now I just do my best to make sure lights are off when they are not in use. I think with most environmental issues, Reducing is the most important "R"!
It is my hope that research will continue and LEDs will become more accessible. I have heard a theory that CFLs are just a bridging technology and soon, they too will be gone. We'll see!
Rob
Nov 27th, 2010
I think CFLs will continue to have a place in people's homes and businesses for years to come. LEDs will eventually become the go to choice for high end applications, but CFLs will replace incandescents as the low cost high efficiency choice for most people in North America.
Rob