CFL’s do contain mercury in very small amounts but its not the breakage of the lamp in your home that cause the issues its the way in which they are manufactured and the large amounts that will end up in landfills not recylced. A great idea with poor execution. Keep in mind that once you start turning your CFL’s on & off and dimm them you are cutting the life in half at best and decreasing the output by 25%+ during that shortened life. Rerun the savings with those numbers and ask if that descreased savings is worth the downstream costs of CFLs.
Don’t get my wrong, I am all for reducing energy consumption but lets be realistic with the “solutions”. Upgrade your appliances, your HVAC, your insulation. Plant some shade trees near your house. Use a programable theromostat. All of these have a far greater effect on energy consumption than a few light bulbs around your house.
