Environmental Working Group Research on CFL's

People love CFL’s. Wait, that’s not it. People love to complain about CFL’s. “I bought one and then it burned out immediately.” “They’re ugly.” “They have mercury in them.” “They make me look like a cadaver.” Well all of that is over now. Today, with the help the Environmental Working Group, I am going to set the record straight.

CFL’s save money, and the planet. Their key is using less electricity to produce the same amount of light. The demand for this combination came at a time when the companies producing the lamps were eagerly finding ways to lower the price to be more competitive with the tradition Thomas Edison incandescent. This led to shelves being stocked with CFL’s that did not have some of the features that consumers had grown accustom to with their incandescents.

Things have changed. Reliability, versatility, and competition have improved the product while continuing to lower the initial costs. The EWG Shopper's Guide lists the 7 CFL bulbs that contain the least amount of mercury. Included on this list is the Earthmate Mini-Size Bulb that can be found on the Ameren online CFL discount page.

Although it is important to take note of the mercury found in each bulb. One of the major sources of mercury emissions is coal-fired electrical plants. Considering the lower need for electricity as compared to an incandescent bulb, CFL’s generate 70 percent less mercury pollution.

The shopper's guide also includes a savings calculator that can be tailored to the average price of electricity in Illinois.

Here's the entire guide.