As the owner of a local company specializing in energy efficient lighting, I would like to take a moment to respond to a recent article about the BC Conservative party wanting to reverse a ban on incandescent lamps.
A primary concern raised in the article was regarding the safety of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Like any piece of technical equipment, you get what you pay for. Typically, less expensive CFLs use a larger amount of mercury. Higher end, or commercial grade lamps like the type our company sells, use the lowest amount of mercury in the industry. In addition to using less mercury, higher end lamps typically bind the mercury to other metals.
This mixture is called an amalgam. This ensures that if a CFL is broken, the mercury remains bound to the other metals and is not released into the air. It is important to note that unless your lamps specifically say mercury amalgam somewhere on the package, that they should be handled with care should one be broken.
Just like televisions and computers, CFLs should be regarded as electronic equipment. As such, we all have a responsibility to make sure they are disposed of correctly. Any responsible lighting retailer will collect used CFLs from their customers.
Also, CFLs are now collected at landfills throughout the province along with fluorescent lamp tubes. Landfills have special machines that crush fluorescent lamps and separate the mercury vapour from the lamps. Consult your local landfill for more information about how you can safely dispose of your fluorescent lighting.
The dangers of compact fluorescent lamps are widely exaggerated.
For the “inconvenience” of returning used CFLs to their place of purchase (a place you are probably going to anyway), is it not worth saving an average of 80 per cent on the energy required to light your home or business?
For customers who are still a little concerned about CFLs, and are willing to spend a little extra money, there is a full line of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps. LEDs are electronic devices which use no mercury, no gas and no filament.
LED lamps offer substantial energy savings of up to 90 per cent over incandescent and halogen lamps, while proving a life of 50,000 hours. In comparison, an incandescent “long life” lamp is usually around 1,500 hours and CFLs are typically 10,000 hours.
The federal government has instituted minimum energy efficiency standards for lighting, which begin to take effect in 2012.
The province of B.C. has merely got an early start by implementing the standards starting in January of this year. To be clear, incandescent lamps can still be imported into B.C.; however they must meet the energy efficiency standards.
With many manufacturers having already shifted their focus to technology-based lighting such as compact fluorescent and LED, it is highly unlikely you will see any time or effort spent into making the incandescent lamp more efficient.
Myles Bukowsky
EnTech Entertainment Technologies
