When the light bulb was invented the world was essentially changed forever. Kerosene lanterns and candles were replaced with incandescent lamps. In the early 1800s, these lamps were developed by passing electrical current through filaments of metals such as platinum. Early lamp designs generated light for mere minutes before the filament would burn out. For almost 75 years inventors and scientists around the world tested and experimented to develop the perfect incandescent lamp and it was not until the late 1870s that Thomas Edison struck gold. Edison developed and patented the first long lasting lamp using a carbonized bamboo filament. Still widely used around the world today, the incandescent lamp is the mechanism for most lighting.

Since Edison saw the light, the incandescent bulb really hasn’t come all that far — they are still highly inefficient. Incandescents have an average lifespan of 750 to 1,000 hours and only five per cent of the power consumed by an incandescent light bulb produces visible light. The rest — a staggering 95 per cent of the power — is emitted as heat. That being said, in a cold climate the heat lost from bulbs is helping to heat your house on those frigid winter nights. 

Enter the Compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). In the early 1980s, nearly 100 years after the incandescent lamp was patented, CFLs were introduced and refined. CFLs that you buy today have a lifespan of between 8,000 and 15,000 hours, light-years ahead of the ancient incandescent! To boot, CFLs use 75-80 per cent less power than an equivalent incandescent bulb. This translates to significant energy savings and dollar savings for you, the consumer. Another benefit to CFLs is that they reduce the need for electrical generation, reducing the consumption of other resources and there in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Now CFLs aren’t totally without flaws: scrupulous readers and consumers will know that every CFL contains a small amount of mercury (about four milligrams). Likewise, anyone who has used a restroom at a WalMart knows how unflattering those fluorescent bulbs can be our skin tones. Thankfully, for the narcissist in all of us, the newer fluorescents emit a light that is similar in colour to the incandescents we’re used to in our bathrooms. As far as the toxic metal goes, the net benefit of using the more efficient CFL is still  positive, especially when the expired bulb is kept out of the waste stream.

If you’ve been following the news lately, you will know that last week the Canadian government released their new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. One of the highlights of the Turning the Corner action plan is that it will set performance standards for all lighting and will phase out the use of inefficient light bulbs by 2012. Since one of the most common ways to conserve energy at home is to replace your regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents, the Turning the Corner plan seems appropriate. Although they cost a bit more, CFLs  can last up to 10 times longer than a regular bulb and immediate savings can be realized. CFLs are just one of several efficient lighting options available. Others include high-efficiency halogen bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LED).

It’s nice to see the light bulb finally went on for our government when it comes to legislating a proactive policy that will help take at least some stress off Mother Nature. Canada is not the first country in the world to propose the elimination of inefficient light bulbs (that honour goes to Australia), but so long as the average citizen shows that he or she gives a filament about their impact on the environment, we can hope our government will at least show us that they’re not totally in the dark.

Nicole Ward is the Environmental Stewardship Coordinator for the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada.