apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yes, but are these the bulbs that have the mercury (I think that's what it is) in them, and if you break them it can be a big problem?

I have been wanting to switch to these bulbs but am concerned about what i have heard about that.

I just saw this display! Yesterday, at the Wal-Mart in Schertz, TX.

akearns,

CFLs do contain mercury, but burning coal to make electricity releases mercury into the atmosphere. Using less energy by switching to CFLs results in lower mercury emissions. So it's worth it to switch. We did a post a while back on this topic.

the walmart down the street where i live has had a display like this for almost two years and last time I went to home depot they had a similar display but it was mainly about the color temperature from cool to the yellow regular tungsten color.

I love not having to replace light bulbs for years! It feels so futuristic.
Maybe it is because I have a sunny place, but I have no problem with the light these give off as some do.
I also appreciate that now I am forced to recycle the bulbs, whereas in the past I felt bad when tossing un-recyclable incandescent bulbs into the trash.
And from this display, it looks like by the time my old bulbs in my dining room fixture (with exposed bulbs) burn out, there will be cfls without the curvy weirdness.

valhalla - there are cfls with more "bulb" shaped glass over the coils out there. they look nice, but are a bit harder to find and often run a little more expensive. but considering the savings, I think they're worth it.

actually, i got some flame-tip ones (3w? 5w?) for a hanging fixture in my last place. these still have a bit further to go in the loveliness department, but they were just fine.

I have the 90's track lighting with the lighting from the right top picture. My husband and I tried to make it work but it will not fit. I would love any suggestions.