CFL and After

One of the methods I am using to be more energy conscious is very judicious use of CFL in my house. Thus far I have replaced several entire rooms, and I intend to continue this until I am completely rid of incandescent.

I originally planned to wait and replace as incandescent bulbs burnt out, but at this point I'm wondering why I shouldn't reap those savings sooner. Especially when companies such as Alliant Energy are providing rebates for purchasing these bulbs.

One thing that has concerned me with CFL though is my perception that people are relatively uninformed about how these bulbs should be disposed. The mercury in the bulbs means that they can no longer simply be tossed in the trash.

I was very encouraged though to see a flier up at my kids' gymnastics class stating the a CFL recycling program had been setup in a nearby town. This prompted me to look for and then find some additional CFL recycling information and information for Iowa specifically.

Luckily for me personally there is a center about 10 minutes away. I do think there is still a need to greatly expand on the number of these centers available, so I hope more people will setup local drop off centers.