This is a question that I am asked on almost a
daily basis and quite honestly I had no answer. I researched the question online, and below is
a link to the best explanation I discovered.
Basically the article says that there
is no need to worry about how many times CFLs are turned on and off. If you are going to be away from the
fixture more than 5 minutes, turn it off. There is concern that this will
shorten the lifespan of the bulb, but it is not an important one.
One of the aspects of turning off
lights that is not discussed in this article is the fact that when the light is
off no electricity is being used. I know this seems like an all too obvious observation, but
think of it this way; most of the electricity generated in the United States is
done so by burning coal. For every kilowatt NOT used, less (or no) coal is
burned. Even if you shorten the life of the bulb by repeatedly turning it off
and on, it will still last longer and use less electricity than a normal
incandescent bulb. When it is off it uses none!
Invariably, when CFLs are mentioned,
the conversation will end up in a discussion of the hazards of mercury. CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury
and special care is needed when disposing of them. But one of the main contributors
of mercury in our environment is the burning of coal. I can’t give hard
numbers, but I would imagine it would take more than a few broken CFLs to come anywhere
near releasing the amount of mercury that a power company coal stack emits in
an hour! When you leave the room, turn off the lights!
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