Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Chris O.
2 reviews
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A little education goes a long way

Compact flourescent lights put out a LOT of light for the amount of power they consume but you need to be mindful of the color temperature of the bulb.

I prefer a softer light for lighting large areas (2700K) but for the bathroom areas and tasklighting for the kitchen and my desk I prefer a greater contrast so I go with a daylight bulb (5000K).

Most people are used to a warm color hue from the "softlight" incandescent bulbs and go out and buy the daylight bulbs and try them as a direct replacement - end result is a weird unnatural light which turns people off to CFLs alltogether.

All CFL packages will tell you the color temperature somewhere on the package - just remember that the lower the temperature the "softer" the light and the higher the temperature the greater the "contrast".

Since they came out with the electronic ballast I have been crazy about CFLs - I don't have any incandescent bulbs in my house - not even in the fridge (found a CFL that works at low temps)

Chris' keywords: flourescent lights

Charlie T.
1 review
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Good power saver odd lighting

Well, I like the fact that it saves A LOT of energy but the quality of the light it gives off is a little hard on the eyes. Hopefully they are working on this.

Charlie's keywords: energy saving

Nate S.
1 review
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A spiral staircase ahead

Over the last year, I have become obsessed with putting in florescent bulbs into every lamp and open circuit made available to me, the promise that if everyone in America replaced one regular bulb with a florescent would be the equivalent of taking a million cars off the road was a promise I could not ignore. Lately though I've realized that they aren't all that bright, my father always told me this and now I've become forced to agree with him. Even though the bulbs do a great job, by themselves they don't produce that much light, the European Union wants to outlaw the old bulbs and replace them with florescent by 2010 on the terms that they get them bright enough by 2008. My dollar will continue to invest in these spiral wonders which produce almost the same as conventional bulbs on 1/4 the energy, and I hope in the years to come they shall raise the standards from the old bulbs, but my household will not be 100% until they can put out more light.

Nate's keywords: flourescant bulbs

Vinnie L.
5 reviews
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While fluorescent light bulbs may not give off the same light as traditional incandescents, they are quite the electricity saver. From energystar.gov, They "use at least 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer."

Vinnie's keywords: energystar light bulb blubs lightbulbs incandescents incandescent fluorescent home lighting

Michele C.
1 review
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Florescent bulbs not quite there yet

We have tried replacing our 3 way reader bulbs with a florescent 3-way bulb. First we were unable to find one at the higher wattage (250) that we like for reading. They do stay cool to the touch, but they have to warm up to get to their full brightness. They will last for much longer, but we would not recommend using them for reading lights.

Alan C.
2 reviews
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See the energy-efficient light!

I discovered compact fluorescents about a year ago, and they're great -- both for your wallet and the environment They produce more watts of light for less energy -- for example, 20 watts of energy will produce the same light as a conventional 75-watt bulb -- and can last up to five years. And because they use so much less energy, they cut down on production of CO2, which causes global warming. We've replaced most of the bulbs in our house with compact fluorescents and we're very pleased with them. And though they weren't widely available at first, you can now find them at many stores, such as Home Depot and Target.

Alan's keywords: lightbulbs

Gary H.
1 review
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Light my Life -- ecologywise

One of the easiest ways of helping to reduce electricity usage is by use of the small, low wattage, florecent bulbs that can be purchased to replace higher wattage incadencent bulbs. By replacement, throughout the house, much electricity can be saved with no sacrifice in lighting and one can receive an attendant cost saving.

Gary's keywords: Light my house