CFL Confusion

[rosarugosa]

We have all CFLs in our house except a couple of old light fixtures in the kitchen that "eat" bulbs at a rapid clip. So we use the cheapest possible bulbs in those lights. They are old enclosed fixtures that we will replace when we remodel the kitchen. I guess we're just not too fussy about light type/quality. I have no particular brand preference, but they all seem fine to me.
We did go to some lengths/expense to install CFL-compatible ceiling fixtures in our house about 17 years ago (in every room but the kitchen). That was before they made the little spiral bulbs that can fit in any fixture. These fixtures take long flat bulbs that I believe are by Sylvania. They kind of look like mini-tubes. There is a minor delay when we turn them on, and sometimes a slight buzzing sound. We must be used to it by now, because Iwe don't really even notice. And it was 9 years before I had to replace the first one of those bulbs!
I also broke a CFL bulb with my head in the basement a few years back. Didn't know I was supposed to panic, so I just picked the shards out of my hair, swept up the rest, and tossed it away. Now I do know enough to dispose of them properly. My local Home Depot has a bin where we can drop them off. The little spiral bulbs are cheap and convenient (we use them in floor lamps, etc.) but they certainly don't last 9 years.
I am eager to try LEDs and I'm glad to see they are coming down in cost.

[kally]

the CFLs we bought were a piece of crap and each one lasted not even 6 months. I don't generally like the light colour either.

[loosechickens]

We put our one CFL bulb into our living room light fixture in March of 2001 (and I know because my sweetie wrote on it with a Sharpie marker, the date he installed it because he wanted to see how long it would last). It's still going strong (of course, now that I've bragged about how long it's lasted, I guess I can expect it to self destruct soon, hahaha......)

[freein05]

We put CFL lights in our living when they first came out. Our living is very dark and we have track light fixtures along two walls. We have 5 sixty watt incandescent bulbs in it prior to replacing them with CFLs. The five incandescent used 300 watts we now have 5 13 watt CFLs that use a total of 65 watts. The lights are on almost all day and until we go to bed. I have not calculated the saving but they save 235 watts an hour. You get used to the funny shape and I like the soft light they put out. We now have them in every light fixture. Some last a long time and some don't. We do not have street side trash pickup so we take our trash to a county transfer station and they have a special box for CFLs and batteries.

[kenh]

I just put a new Philips LED light in our dining room - it's great. $25 home depot; 800 lumens, 12.5 watt, 2700deg warm color.
For us, the low wattage is absolutely important because we are off the grid.

[freein05]

Fox News and many politicians apparently never read the law regarding energy efficient light blubs. The law did not require CFLs. It required light blubs use 25% less energy. Manufactures are now coming out with incandescent blubs that meet the laws requirement. So you will still be able to buy incandescent blubs. No need to stock up on power hungry blubs. I have used CFLs for years and like them and especially the savings in energy costs.

[fidgiegirl]

kenh, thanks for your review of the LEDs. I just saw a little insert in the power bill that said they are available at a discount locally ($10 each) but can last up to 25 years and have no mercury. I was wondering precisely about the color, so your review was helpful. We will have to look into those as we finish off our stash.

We broke a CFL when remodeling. You'd think we had dropped an atom bomb the way my in-laws reacted. They had to take the broken bulb outside, and then my mother in law wanted to wrap up all the broken pieces. Geez. Any junk that was going to go into the air went into it at the moment of breaking, not after the fact. Such worry warts, but I could do worse

[Bronxboy]

Fox News and many politicians apparently never read the law regarding energy efficient light blubs. The law did not require CFLs. It required light blubs use 25% less energy. Manufactures are now coming out with incandescent blubs that meet the laws requirement. So you will still be able to buy incandescent blubs.

True. We use a number of these halogen/incandescent bulbs in our house. They run between $1.50 and $2 each for Phllips.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...cStoreNum=2583

[Bronxboy]

LEDs will almost surely make the CFLs disappear in the rear view mirror of life, and they ARE already coming down in price. .

LEDs made halogens disappear in a specialized lighting area I work with in about 18 months. Made everything else obsolete. 40 Watt equivalent LEDs are now under $5 each at Costco. I'll probably pick up a pack on my next visit.

In short, CFLs will go the way of the pet rock QUICKLY.

[Tradd]

I've used the GE Reveal incandescents for a long time. I was at Walmart several days ago and was looking for a 3-way CFL for the only lamp in my LR, a floor lamp (torchiere style). This lamp is on almost all the time. I was happy to find a Reveal CFL. It was about $15, but the light is so much softer than CFLs I've had in the past.