Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: what do you do with incandescent lightbulbs? CFL

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Thanks to Leland for your reply on cohousing-L suggesting that it is still
reasonable to use incandescent bulbs in some instances. I thought about
making a similar reply but did not get to it.  I just bought some
incandescent bulbs the other day - not nearly as many as I used to but a
few.  I have bulbs lots of places, closets, little used rooms etc that
I doubt warrant CFL's since they are litle used.  Some will probably get
replaced with CFL's when they burn out (which may be a while since they
are little used).

Another place I have yet to use cfl's is where I have a dimmer.
(I understand they exist but I have not used them yet. Also 3 wattage
CFL's exist I think but would require new switches / wiring I presume, I
plan to check these out more.)

I just made a little survey of our house (about 1200 sq feet built around
1930). to see what bulbs we do have installed. The bulbs that are in use a
lot are the CFL's and flourescents.

Incandescent / CFL / conventional flourescent:

First floor 15/6/2
second floor 5/0/0
( little used sort of attic like)
Basement    10/0/1
('unfinished' - shop / laundry / storage (bikes, lumber etc))

Since incandescent bulbs have a relatively short life I don't anticipate
needing to dispose of working ones.  I am unaware of a way to recycle
burned out ones.  So far I'm storing dead CFL's till I have a convenient
way to have them recycled or environmentally safely disposed of.

BTW one of the lights in my house that I find most useful is the unique
one by our bed which I made.  It is an externally wired (with heavy three
conductor extension cord) 3-way switched articulated light with a separate
dimmer by the bed with switch that can be roughly adjusted by touch before
turning it on.  The switch by the door can turn it on/off.  The one by the
bed can be turned (as well as adjust brightness) saving getting out of bed
to turn off the light.  I'm pondering a multiwattage CFL replacement.

BTW #2 at a HS PTA meeting Monday on the topic of talking to teenagers and
drugs; it was mentioned that kids now sometimes use the glass from
incandescent lightbulbs (after breaking off the base) to "cook" some drug
to produce volatiles that can be inhaled.  I cant recall what drug at the
moment.  Not very common, I dont think but if bulbs disappear you might
consider the possibility.

Fred

-- 
Fred H. Olson  Minneapolis,MN 55411  USA        (near north Mpls)
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