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CFLs + Clean Power + Cold Weather + Gas Furnace = GHG Emissions Spikes
By crooky | March 17, 2008
A very, very, interesting article in today’s Toronto Star raised the ugly issue of the “green-ness” of Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFLs). The article, citing a report done by Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. (AECL) and the University of Toronto, suggests that the waste heat generated by incandescent bulbs in a region where electricity is relatively clean (hydroelectricity, nuclear) could do less harm than using CFLs.
How is this possible?
You might not know it, but that incandescent bulb shining bright actually contributes to the heating needs of your home during the winter. When you switch to CFL bulbs, which are more efficient at using the electricity that goes into them, your home heating system needs to work harder to make up for the heat that your new light bulbs are no longer providing.
So, the thinking goes that if you use CLFs in a climate where you need to use your furnace the majority of the year, your furnace will need to work harder than it would with incandescent bulbs and end up requiring a bigger draw on your furnace. If you’re using a gas furnace, you can see how that would be a problem.
The flipside of this argument in Canada is in Ontario and other regions of Canada, the summers are as hot as the winters are cold and when you need to use indoor air conditioning to survive the summer, incandescent bulbs actually work against your carbon footprint.
So, I suggest the following:
If you live somewhere where there is clean electricity but you have a gas furnace and it gets hot in the summer but stays very cold in the winter - buy two sets of light bulbs:
In the winter, use incandescent bulbs and in the summer, install CFLs. But wait… then you’re buying two sets of manufactured goods….. SHIT! This isn’t working.
In the winter, burn your cotton t-shirts to stay warm and… SHIT! Cotton t-shirts have a cradle to grave GHG impact too!
This is confusing and frustrating. Let’s put it to the polls - to CFL or not to CFL? Many jurisdictions in Canada are considering an incandescent bulb ban. What do you think?
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Aaron “Crooky” Cruikshank is the Principal and Founder of Friuch Consulting. He has written professionally about science and technology for ten years.
Topics: Policy, Technology |