Some down sides, of the CFL:
1) The ballast contains mercury, which is disposal problem for the "Greens".
2) Cold temperatures (outside use - like the lamps in my unheated garage, for instance), Dimmer Circuits (turning the lights down), Ceiling Fans (CFL's don't like the vibration) will all shorten the life span of the CFL.
4. You get what you pay for, the cheaper brands last about as long as the incandescent. Some less...LIke the Chinese-made junk lamps I bought at Safeway with the Safeway brand on them.
3) Lastly, the low brightness (candle-power) may not appeal to users.
GOOD CFL's do deliver what they are supposed to. Countries like Australia will be passing laws that CFL's are all that you can use.
There is a CFL that you can use outside, check the label.
ALSO: Check the socket – I have had to replace some. Some sockets are cheap. Others – at one time in the socket's history - someone didn't screw the bulb in tight enough. The pressure contact got hot (look at the little button, in the center bottom of the socket. If it is starting to turn blue or purple – it got hot. I've seen some were it looked like burnt toast) and weakened the connection. There by shortening the life of any bulb you screw in.
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Most CFLs today on the market contain less than 5mgs of mercury and there are CFL options out there that contain as little as 1.5mgs of mercury- which can hardly be called a “significant amounts of mercury” considering that many item in your home contain 100s of times more of mercury including your computer. Mercury levels in CFLs can never be “nonexistent” since mercury is a necessary component of a CFL and there is no other known element that is capable of replacing it. But CFLs actually prevent more mercury from entering the environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, “a coal-fired power plant will emit about four times more mercury to keep an incandescent bulb glowing, compared with a CFL of the same light output”.
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