Did you see that WalMart is going green? They are pushing compact fluorescent lights now.
Me, I’m still behind the times. I have tried a few in the last couple years, but mostly they either did not fit in the fixtures or they looked funny.
After seeing An Inconvenient Truth I went out and bought a package of the spirally kind. But I couldn’t bring myself to actually remove and throw away perfectly functional light bulbs, so I decided to replace them as they burnt out. That finally happened last month when two bathroom ceiling lights gave out.
About the same time Tricia wanted a new ceiling light in the kitchen. I couldn’t fix the rectangular box with the flickering fluorescent tubes that was up there. We found a nice round ceiling fixture and installed three compact fluorescents in it.
Happy with those results, I went out and bought another package of the things. This week a hallway bulb burned out and I replaced it. I started thinking - I had already spent the money for the new lights. The longer I waited the more money I was spending on energy. Besides I was being outdone by WalMart. I threw caution to the winds and installed the rest of the package of the bulbs. They went in the other hallway fixture and in a couple of closets.
But this time the results are not so good. The lights seem to be some kind of other-worldly color of green. Besides they seem kind of dim, even though the package says they put out the same amount of light as the others. These are “Bright Effects” and the first package was Sylvania.
Poking around on the internet I am finding this is more complicated than I thought. There are different colors and (who would have guessed) the less expensive ones don’t perform as well as some of the others.
Also maybe they aren’t the best answer in all situations. They don’t come on instantly and don’t achieve their maximum brightness until they have warmed up. So does it even make sense to put them in places like closets where you only want light for a minute or two?
What is your experience? Have you converted any or all of your lights?
Comments (14)
Hi Bill,
We’ve bought stand-alone reading lamps that use energy saving florescent bulbs and have been happy with them. We didn’t buy the compact bulbs found in some of the existing light fixtures - the previous owner did that. These were not put into places requiring really good light, and the color is rather odd, but of course I like the money saving idea. We were thinking about replacing a few more, so thanks for the information on the differences in bulb quality.
Another article on this subject brought up a different concern - once the volume increases with WalMart stepping in, the mercury in landfills will also increase, as the bulbs expire and are discarded.
No wonder I feel so conflicted about exactly what IS the right thing to do~
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Yes they give off a strange light. We put some in the spare bedrooms and were disappointed until we realized they got brighter over time. The 60w equivilant bulbs sure seem less bright. Not sure they are practical in all applications
I love the bulbs I purchased through EFI:
http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/25_44
They have CFL’s in capsules and globes that look similar to the regular light bulbs. I have been really happy with them. The only one that takes a few seconds to “warm-up” and get brighter is the yellow bug-light I bought for the porch…unfortunately it also isn’t that great at keeping those tiny little moths away. The geckos are using it as a Las Vegas beacon to the all night buffet.
I don’t like the bright white light everywhere in the house so I also purchased some of the pink toned bulbs. The color is quite nice in the bedrooms making everything warm and soft.
I am going to try the candelabra flame-tips next and a dimmable bulb to see how it works with the dimmer switches I have installed for some overhead fixtures.
..oh yeah, and since I replaced bulbs about 5 months ago I have seen about a $40 dollar drop on my electric bill each month. I’m happy!
I knew I would learn some stuff from the comments. Thanks guys.
I had forgotten about the outdoor lights. I have two 13-watt GE BIAX lights by the front door and they work just fine. They are yellow but that’s okay outside. I rarely turn them on. I don’t actually like outdoor lighting despite what the security experts say. I can see better at night if I just let my eyes adjust to the darkness. I always carry an LED flashlight on my keychain just in case I really need more light.
My lights are all Parsis. They used to be Christians.
AJM purchased a spiral fluorescent bulb for the light over our kitchen chopping block cart. I hate it. It doesn’t seem to cast any light. Or maybe it casts a bright light in one spot which puts everything else into deep shadow. For whatever reason, the result is dark. During the kitchen remodel we put in three additional lights over the counters, one floodlamp at the other end of the kitchen. The new vent also has light. For the first time the kitchen is filled with light and which makes it airy and pleasant. I only have the lights on when I’m using them, though.
I don’t like outside lights either for the same reason. I see better in the dark if I give my eyes the chance to adjust. We live so close to downtown that on any cloudy night the reflection of the city lights makes it quite bright at night.
Check out these two sites for good information:
http://members.shaw.ca/wiggie/Compact_Flourescent_Lights.html
http://www.execulink.com/~impact/fluorescent_lights.htm
I have sort of a bad taste in my mouth about these. I had a nice little flourescent reading lamp bulb for years. The one I bought recently though was a different animal. My $20 bulb was indeed dimmer than the previous regular bulbs. I finally got used to it. But it stopped working in less than 3 months. (By which time I’d thrown away the packaging of course!)
LOLOL at Joel!!!
I replaced all the lights I leave on all the time with them, and my bill dropped like a rock!
I do not like them in lamps that I read by though. I splurge and have those 250/150/100 3 ways there.
Bought mine at Costco and they work fine. Last a good year!
Happy Birthday Bill!!
In my ceililng fans I’ve used a mixture of florescent and standard bulbs so the lighting is more mixed. Where the bulbs seem to be too dim, I use the next wattage up. After all, they use a lot less energy anyway. I use the round ones in the bathroom vanity and while it takes a while to warm up and get fully brighten up they do a good job. I found some spotlight ones for the driveway motion detector. Watch out, though because some florescent bulbs, mostly older ones, are not designed to be used inside a contained fixture or globe.
My power supply coompany provides rebates for the bulbs which makes them even more enticing. They do last longer and I have found my power bill has gone down over the past couple of years as I replace bulbs.
Just a note, you might want to write the date you install the bulbs so you get an idea of how long they last in a particular fixture. I’ve had a couple not last very long, but so far only those two or three. Otherwise, I’ve replaced more standard bulbs in the same amount of time.
We have replace about 10 regular bulbs with the new ones. Results are generally positive, although it is difficult to be sure how much electricity is being saved. My monthly bill varies from $120 to $150 per month, so it would take a pretty big savings to really notice. You cannot use the bulbs in fixtures that have a rheostat(?) dimmer switch because of the resulting and annoying flickering of the lights. In fact, I got this effect in one fixture that was not even on a dimmer switch. I think these bulbs are especially good for lights that need to be left on most of the time, less useful for lights that are seldom used.
Bill, that sundown photo is really great, and I have set for my computer screen wallpaper!
Temperature last night -3 degrees F here in northern Ohio, with 10 mph wind! Lots of people having fun skating on the frozen ponds–first time this winter.
ivan
I was glad to see this forum and discussion about CFLs! Many CFLs now are “kelvin rated” the same as incandescents — the color is the same warm glow. watch for labeling that indicates color as warm or cool, cool may be better for reading but warm is more flattering and the light we are generally accustomed to. As far as longevity of the bulbs, which should last up to 7 or 8 times longer than an incandescent, if you choose Energy Star approved bulbs you are guaranteed a certain lifetime, and can contact the maker or return the bulbs for credit or refund. Energy Star bulbs have met quality criteria set by the Environmental Protection Agency and are therefore a little more of a sure thing, but there are other good bulbs out there too. Just be aware. If you want to see the variety of bulbs and other energy saving items available, you can go to our website, http://www.gipl.org and follow the links for shopping, which takes you to the Michigan IPL site.
PS — rcycling CFLs — CFLs so have mercury in them but a very small amount per bulb, and remember that coal-fired power plants produce a lot of mercury vapor in emissions. So EPA still strongly recommends using CFLs, but does recommend recycling when available. IKEA stores offer free CFL recycling in bins in their stores — and more recycling options should develop as more people use CFLs.