CFL Quick Facts

  • CFLs come in cool and warm shades of light colour
  • The electricity a CFL saves means less heavy metals and greenhouse gases put into our air
  • CFLs can save you $40 to $50 in energy costs over the life of the bulb compared with incandescent bulbs. That means changing out 10 bulbs could save you $400 to $500 over their lifetime.
  • Changing our regular lights with a variety of CFL bulbs could save a household $50 per year (8 lamps or more).
  • Only specific CFLs can be placed on a dimmer, otherwise they will fail prematurely.
  • There are CFLSs with specially designed base and reflector for recessed, in ceiling fixtures.
  • CFLs can be used outdoors, but they must be shielded from the weather.
  • There is a small quantity (5mg) of mercury in each light. That is less than 1/100th of a mercury dental filling and 1/5 of a watch battery.
  • CFLs, and any lamps for that matter, should be disposed of in a safe manner. Place in a sealed bag, sweep, and don't vacuum.
  • Install the CFL by its base, not the curly glass part.