Question

why are fluorescent tubes and CFLs better alternatives to an electric bulb

Answer 1

Because they are less energy efficient

Answer 2

While fluorescent (CFL) bulbs generate light by sending an electrical discharge through an ionized gas, incandescent bulbs emit light by heating the filament present in the bulb. When CFL bulbs were first introduced in the 1970s, they were expected to spell the end of the traditional incandescent light bulb.