Venezuela's CITGO Petroleum is handing out energy efficient light bulbs across the US

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Updated: 1:24 p.m.

Venezuela's CITGO Petroleum is handing out energy efficient light bulbs across the US
By Associated Press
1:24 PM EDT, July 17, 2008

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) _ Venezuela's CITGO Petroleum Corp. is handing out energy efficient light bulbs across the U.S., despite political tensions between the two nations.

Houston-based CITGO is teaming with nonprofit Citizen's Energy Corp. of Boston to hold workshops on energy conservation.

They plan to distribute nearly 500,000 small fluorescent bulbs in 11 cities.

The program kicks off in Houston Thursday, two days after it began in Washington.



Read more: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-venezuela-us-light-bulbs,0,4701877.story

[skooooo]

1. Thanks Hugo!

Our government makes me SICK.

[Demeter]

2. Clue Sticks (with Directions for Effective Use) Might Be Better Choice.

[bbgrunt]

6. I'll second that!!

[harun]

I need to start giving Citgo more business, vive Chavez!

[WriteDown]

3. Can't stand these...

Tried to use them 3 times in my house. They kept burning out on me. No matter what light temperature I use, it still looks a little on the greenish side too. I will wait for the upcoming LED bulbs. That will be the real deal.

[harun]

5. The only one I ever had a problem with was the one I bought at the

dollar store. Didn't even work. All the other ones I have bought last MUCH longer than regular bulbs.

[WriteDown]

7. I have some pretty nice ones...

Still have some in a draw. I installed them in everyroom, but they didn't last very long. I've heard that I may have turned them on and off too much, but that is what I do when I leave or come into a room. I still have one working in an outside light, but that is never turned off. I use them in my reptile tanks and they work well there though. Must easier than the tubes.

[Kolesar]

35. "Lights of America" are poor. Buy TCP, Commercial Electric, Philips

Philips is the brand that offers dimmable CFLs. thanks for trying!

[Indenturedebtor]

9. Mine last forever! We take them out of the lamps when we move

I lived in my last apartment for 2 years... I changed the bulbs to flourescents when we moved in.. and put the incandescents back in when we moved out lol.

They're awesome!

[Juneboarder]

32. Mine do last quite a while, but...

they say they last 7 years and I've only been able to get about 1 1/2 to 2 years out of them. Either way, still more efficient that an incandescent and better for our environment.

[Indenturedebtor]

33. I once had it recommended to me that i use lower wattage lamps

Or higher wattage bulbs in lower wattage lamps.

I haven't tried it but it does seem to make sense.

[snooper2]

10. I've replaced about half my bulbs as they go out..

Over the past 3 years, and not a single one of the new bulbs have gone out...no issues at all..

[TommyO]

17. When I moved into my townhouse 20 months ago, I replaced a lot

All of the bathroom fixtures have compact fluorescents in them, my home office has them as well, along with the garage and bonus room (read storage and access to the backyard). Other rooms where I wanted dimming ability, I stuck with incandescent bulbs, but will replace those as dimmable fluorescents come down in price.

[roody]

16. They don't make them like they used to.

I have one I bought in 1992, and it cost 18 dollars. I moved it across country, and it is still in my reading lamp by my bed.

[thereismore]

18. mine burned out too fast too. I thought it was just me. nt

[OwnedByFerrets]

19. Ive got one in 95% of the outlets in my home

and over a period of 5 yrs Ive only replaced 3 of them. Pretty damn good if ya ask me.

[NMDemDist2]

37. I got good ones at Costco before I left PHX, installed them everywhere in the new house

haven't replaced one yet, over two years now....

[High Plains]

4. Damn that socialist dictator and his oil company!

(Where do I get my bulbs?)

[irislake]

8. What villainy!

Eh?

[EFerrari]

41. More anti-American threats from Chavez! n/t

[TlalocW]

11. I've been trying to see how long they last

By leaving my porch light on all the time, but a female friend who visits me often keeps shutting it off during the day ruining my experiment.

TlalocW

[WriteDown]

12. They last very long that way....

But as far as daily in home use, I have had zero luck.

[starchimes]

13. Mine have lasted forever. Got them on ebay. Still have a

bunch of them left that I haven't used. I saw a difference in my electric bill right away.

[caraher]

14. I've had mixed results (bulb life)

I've heard a good rule of thumb is that if your application lets you keep the bulb on for at least 15 minutes, the CF will outlast the equivalent incandescent. For most purposes you should be ahead on CF bulbs financially (the energy cost will always be smaller, of course, than an incandescent). But there are a few things where it's better from a lifetime perspective to stick with incandescents.

I'm looking forward to the LEDs myself. They'll last longer than CF bulbs and use less energy.

Meanwhile, do I just show up at my local CITGO for my bulbs?

[pleah]

15. I have been using flourescent bulbs for years. I waiting for

led bulbs to come down in price so I can switch to them.

[fascisthunter]

20. Damnit!!!! Now He's Giving away Light Bulbs!!!!!!

What's next....

[Judi Lynn]

21. Someone's going to have to put a stop to this, and I mean right now!

http://lmno4p.org.nyud.net:8090/images/6.5/angry_bush.jpg

[fascisthunter]

23. That's it! Send in the Neo-Nut "Jackals"

Handing out light bulbs, went over the line.

[damntexdem]

22. Good for CITGO, Venezuela, and Chavez.

Now, if only CITGO would return to my market area (North Texas).

The closest station I know of is down in Austin.

And my CITGO card is the only oil company card I carry, the only one I plan to carry.

[sandyj999]

24. I Had CFC bulbs but don't have them anymore.

When I read the precautions you have to take if one gets broken I decided I didn't want them. This is what did it for me.

EPA cleanup procedure

Before cleanup: Vent the room
1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Cleanup steps for hard surfaces
3. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
6. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Cleanup steps for carpeting or rug
3. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
6. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Disposal of cleanup materials
7. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
8. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing cleanup materials.
9. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a recycling center.

Future cleaning of carpeting or rug
10. For at least the next few times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
11. Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

[WriteDown]

27. Geez!!!

Never saw this. I broke one in my kitchen. Luckily my house is so old, it has natural ventilation :). Hopefully it helped.

[sandyj999]

28. I could just imagine the dogs running through it so I got rid of them.

I understand the natural ventilation I have it too especially on a windy winter day.

[Kolesar]

36. Mercury from coal fired electricity is a bigger hazard than mercury from CFLs

this part is "a bit over the top": 6. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

I called my county "Solid Waste Disposal District" office and they said just throw the fluorescent bulbs in the trash. That should give you some scale of the hazard.

[sandyj999]

43. Thanks and See Post Below n/t

[Judi Lynn]

44. Home Depot stores seem to recycle them. I'm going to check. It's mentioned here:

~snip~
Spent lamps should be recycled to contain the small amount of mercury in each lamp, in preference to disposal in landfills. In the European Union, CFLs are one of many products subject to the WEEE recycling scheme. The retail price includes an amount to pay for recycling, and manufacturers and importers have an obligation to collect and recycle CFLs. Safe disposal requires storing the bulbs unbroken until they can be processed. In the US, The Home Depot is the first retailer to make CFL recycling options widely available.<43>

Special handling upon breakage is currently not printed on the packaging of household CFL bulbs in many countries. It is important to note that the amount of mercury released by one bulb can exceed U.S. federal guidelines for chronic exposure.<44><45> Chronic however, implies that the exposure takes place over a long period of time. One time exposure to a trace amount of mercury is unlikely to be harmful. Conventional tubular fluorescent lamps have been used since 1938 with little concern about handling. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that, in the absence of local guideline, fluorescent bulbs be double-bagged in plastic bags before disposal.<46>

The first step of processing CFLs involves crushing the bulbs in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercury-absorbing filter or cold trap to contain mercury vapor. Many municipalities are purchasing such machines. The crushed glass and metal is stored in drums, ready for shipping to recycling factories.

According to the Northwest Compact Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Project, because household users have the option of disposing of these products in the same way they dispose of other solid waste, "a large majority of household CFLs are going to municipal solid waste". They additionally note that an EPA report on mercury emissions from fluorescent tube lamp disposal indicates the percentage of total mercury released from the following disposal options: municipal waste landfill 3.2%, recycling 3%, municipal waste incineration 17.55% and hazardous waste disposal 0.2%.<47>

Wikipedia on CFL's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp

[MasonJar]

25. Try again. They last for a long time. Sometimes they are slow to come on.

Just be patient.

[jwirr]

26. There may be a lot tension between the *ss administration and Chevez

but there are a whole lot of us in this nation who have benefited from his energy assistance and now light bulbs that most of us cannot afford. Thank you Mr. Chevez.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

29. If this doesn't prove once and for all the "so called" environmentalism

is part of the worldwide communist conspiracy I don't know what does.

[Mudoria]

30. I'll buy my own thanks

[Hulk]

31. It takes a "third world country" to show "we're #1 idiots" how to conserve.

I know it's only a slap in the face to our idiot horse's ass preznit "decider", but I still LOVE IT!!

Thanks Chavez. It's more than WE ever did for YOU!!

[truthisfreedom]

34. 500,000 bulbs would save up to $25,000,000 for those households!

Based on this:

Each cone-shaped spiral CFL costs about $3, compared with 50 cents for a standard bulb. But a CFL uses about 75 percent less energy and lasts five years instead of a few months. A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity. Look at your utility bill and imagine a 12 percent discount to estimate the savings.

from here:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/economy/2007/12/19/faq-the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it.html

[lostnfound]

38. That's funny, I live in Houston and some groupjust handed out free fluorescents

to anyone that wanted them, but it didn't say Citgo.
Very cool.

[Joanne98]

39. God bless Hugo Chavez! What a nice man.

[Tracer]

40. I've replace some incandescents with "daylight" fluorescents.

And, at first, I thought they had a yellowish cast, but I'm used to it now and plan to replace all my other bulbs.

For long-lasting? I've got an old one in my basement that has lasted for close to 40 years!

[sandyj999]

42. I Have Changed My Mind on The CFL Bulbs

After posting the "clean-up" of these if they break and realizing that any breakage of any fluorescent bulb should have the same clean-up I am going to buy more of them. I have a number of fluorescent lights in my basement and bird room so it's foolish to worry about it. There is much more danger in changing one of those tubes than a small CFL bulb. And there are some that have even smaller amounts of mercury.