Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 66% less energy than standard light bulbs, generate less heat and last longer. Some of these are better than others. Here is what consumer reports has to say:After thousands of hours, most of the 13- to 15-watt compact fluorescent lightbulbs we are testing still work. That's good news, considering that equivalent 60-watt incandescents typically last only 1,000 hours. All of the CFLs are Energy Star-qualified.
But the light went out early on seven of nine Feit Ecobulb ESL13T bulbs, which cost about $2.25 apiece. Most of these failed between 3,300 to 3,900 hours of lighting in our tests, which cycle them on and off. The package claimed 8,000 hours average life. A better choice was the Feit Ecobulb Plus ESL13T/Eco ($2.66). All 10 samples of that model passed a 5,000-hour preliminary test, and they are being tested further, along with other brands. So far, here are some other good choices: GE 8,000 Hour Long Life 41525, and N:Vision 423-599, (sold at Home Depot) were still on after 7,600 hours. We paid about $2 to $4.50 a bulb.
All of the bulbs we are testing claim to have less than 5 milligrams of mercury. Ecobulb Plus claims less than 2.5 mg; N:Vision, 2.3 to 3.5 mg. You should recycle dead CFLs so that mercury isn't released into the environment. Most municipalities don't have programs to collect CFLs, and neither do most stores that sell them. Learn how to recycle your CFLs.
Although not all CFLs will last their claimed life, our testing has shown that most should last much longer than incandescent bulbs and pay for themselves in energy savings. Even the Feit bulbs that quit at 3,300 hours could save about $13 over their short life span.
note: there was a link in that article on how to recycle but I think you have to be a member to see it. The gist is that some manufacturers will take them back and also Ikea stores will take them. Another option is to contact your local waste disposal center for centers that they might have that accept them.
here's what I'm going to do:
I'm going to evaluate all of the light bulbs in my house and replace the ones I can with CFL's & when my CFL's die I will make sure they go to the right place instead of in the trash.