Solar Light Tubes

Solar light tubes or light pipes are an excellent way of providing natural daylighting for your home. A round tube lined with highly reflective material leads the light rays through a building, starting from an entrance-point located on its roof. At the end point a diffuser spreads the light into the room.

Light tubes are a great natural lighting option for small areas such as bathrooms and hallways that wouldn’t be suitable for conventional skylights.

The Facts on Mercury in CFLs

Have you been putting off replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents because of nagging concerns about mercury content?

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury (about 5 mg) Coal-fired power plants on the other hand are a primary source of mercury in our environment. In New Brunswick they emit about 140 kg (308 lbs) per year.

Since using CFLs cuts the amount of power used for lighting by 75%, their use can reduce the total amount of mercury (and greenhouse gases) added to our environment by reducing our demand on fossil fuel power generation.

That said, do be careful. Always hold the bulb by its base and never force it into a socket.

If you break a CFL, here’s what you do:

•Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

•Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them a plastic bag and seal it.

•Use disposable rubber gloves, if available: do not use bare hands.

•Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag.

•Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

•Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag.

•Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in an outdoor protected area for the next trip to the hazardous waste collection site.

•Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet:

•First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.

•If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the in a protected outdoor area for your next trip to the hazardous waste collection site.

All Home Depot stores are now taking back expired CFL bulbs for recycling.

If you live in an area that does not offer CFL recycling, take your used bulbs to a hazardous waste disposal site.

Not all compact fluorescent light bulbs are created equal. For more information on CFL's and to view a list of the best brands available, click here.

LED lighting

LED lights are even more efficient than CFL lighting. At present they are mostly used for task lighting, desk and reading lamps, and Christmas lights, but new bulb configurations are creating possibilities for ultra-efficient whole room lighting.