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Come 2012, America will begin phasing out incandescent lighting in favor of fluorescent lighting; and, I am disheartened at the brainwashing that has taken hold of the American public in regards to the energy savings that will result from the use of fluorescents. Please understand that I like fluorescent lighting given the right situation. What I am against is the use of it in every single room, in every single situation.
What is completely unbeknownst to most people is the fact that unless you leave the fluorescent light on for at least 15 minutes (or longer), it is more expensive to use than the incandescent bulb. What this means is that for a short of amount of time; i.e., using the bathroom for less than 15 minutes, turning the light on to check the TV guide for less than 15 minutes, entering your walkin closet for less than 15 minutes, turning light on in your basement or garage for less than 15 minutes or using light in any situation for less than 15 minutes is much more expensive with the compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) than with the incandescent one.
The reason is that it takes a tremendous amount of energy to ‘start' the fluorescent light bulb. The real problem with this type of lighting is that it is an expensive, wasteful choice for short term lighting. Over an extended period of use, however, it is cheaper to run the fluorescent bulb because the amount of energy it uses is much less than the steady running of the incandescent bulb. So, if you plan to study or sew or work on a hobby for a few hours, great choice. But if you turn it on and then turn it off again, you just wasted a lot of money and a lot of energy!
On the health sides of fluorescent lighting,  do you know what happens if you break a bulb? The EPA will tell you to air out the room for a quarter of an hour. Wear gloves. Double-bag the refuse. Use duct tape to lift the residue from a carpet. Don't use a vacuum cleaner, as that will only spread the problem. The next time you vacuum the area, immediately dispose of the vacuum bag. What are the harmful products in the CFLs? Mercury and phosphorus.
[What happens if your Lab puppy eats the CFL bulb? Lab pups are known for eating light bulbs as well as everything else. Of course, not to worry. Labs eat everything because they know they can always vomit later! Incidentally, my lab pup ate an incandescent bulb so I speak from experience; but, if she had gotten her paws on a CFL, I don't know if she would have survived!]
Did you know that the radio frequency output of the various types of fluorescent lighting is dangerous to one's health and for some people induces headaches? Because the electronics in the fluorescents produce an RF signal as well as a constant flickering that is unnoticed by the human eye, many people report headaches after long term exposure to this type of lighting.
Fluorescent bulbs will not work in oven or dryers because the heat will damage the electronics and melt the casing which encloses the CFLs. (I plan to stock up on incandescent bulbs because I like seeing inside my dryer and oven!) And, I'd love to know what they plan to do with my refrigerator. I don't like keeping my refrigerator door open for 15 minutes at a time. And how many times do we open the refrigerator every day? Of course, we could just build our refrigerators so that that bulb inside stays on permanently whether the door is open or closed!
As you can see, fluorescent lighting certainly has its good point: over an extended period of time, it will save you money.
But for practical reasons, it is not the answer. Why not try something my mother taught me? When you leave a room, turn off the light and then make it a habit. Add fluorescent lighting to areas in which you will be using light for extended periods of time; but, leave the incandescent bulb alone. We have enough problems in this country. Just wait until you see what happens when we become ‘fluorescentized.'
If Al Gore really wants to save the earth, he should turn off his air conditioning, install fans, and hang his clothes out to dry because our clothes dryers and air conditioners deplete our energy a lot faster than the simple light bulb!
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