Light bulb better than CFL and LED! (mercury, toxic, reviews)

[evilnewbie]

Well, since we are moving to an era of efficient energy usage, a lot of companies (particularly GE) have been pushing for mandating everyone to use CFL because of increased efficiency. The problem with CFL of course is the mercury content. LED has also been suggested as an alternative but it costs a lot to make them...

They have invented a new type of bulb... the ESL... read about it here... I wonder if we should mandate ESL bulbs instead (the pseudo-green company GE won't be happy with that)....

Vu1 Technology (http://vu1.com/technology/technology.htm - broken link)

[Niners fan]

Interesting. Ideally there would be no mandates. Consumers will switch on their own when the right technology comes along.

[domergurl]

People don't realize that those twisty bulbs are toxic waste. Glad to see an alternative.

[sterlinggirl]

Isn't that the same way a TV makes light?

[Donn2390]

It isn't just GE making the new bulbs, all the mfg's do. It's law in Calif (Title 24), and probably the rest of the country also.
VU1 sounds good, as long as they conform to Title 24, which I assume they will....

[harry chickpea]

Sounds suspiciously like the little flat panels that are used in some night lights and specialty lighting. I sniff a stock scam.

[TomSD]

Good to see they are still innovating. Eventually they'll come up with a solution that people will go to without too much prompting.

[pvande55]

Actually some incandescent bulbs will still be allowed: halogen type which look a lot like the old ones but use less power, and of course cost more.

[gramirez2012]

Originally Posted by pvande55

halogen type which look a lot like the old ones but use less power, and of course cost more.

and generate an insane amount of heat.

[Nomander]

Originally Posted by evilnewbie

Well, since we are moving to an era of efficient energy usage, a lot of companies (particularly GE) have been pushing for mandating everyone to use CFL because of increased efficiency. The problem with CFL of course is the mercury content. LED has also been suggested as an alternative but it costs a lot to make them...

They have invented a new type of bulb... the ESL... read about it here... I wonder if we should mandate ESL bulbs instead (the pseudo-green company GE won't be happy with that)....

Vu1 Technology (http://vu1.com/technology/technology.htm - broken link)

Well, it certainly has some benefits over that of the CFL, yet it does still have its draw backs.

So far, the reviews concerning their cons are showing delay before full illumination, backwards compatibility issues with their size for older fixture housings, and while their costs are definitely cheaper than that of an LED of comparable purpose, they are twice as expensive as CFL's which again, we know to be much more expensive than incandescent bulbs.

Also, for those who like the dual purpose of incandescent bulbs as a heat source, these also do not provide any heat. So those who rely on such combination usage won't see any advantage in that area.

It certainly is better than CFL's hazard wise (both chemically and fire potential) and it does claim to last longer than CFL's at a 10,000 hour range, but the cost is what keeps me from being interested. A typical incandescent will last roughly 1,000 hours and 10 incandescent are still far cheaper than 1 ESL.

I am all for improvements, but they need to come with improvements across the board to really pull me in.