Do you use energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs in your home?

[tom_paine]

OK... a DU poll on the energy efficiency of your home lighting. Fluorescent bulbs kick ass!

You almost NEVER have to replace them, even the brightest of them only use no more than 30W -- 75W equivalent fluorescent bulb, my bulb of choice, is only 18W of actual energy used (which sure makes a guy feel better if a light is left on mistakenly, knowing that it would have to burn for 8 hours to even equal the energy usage of 3 hrs. of a 60W tiny desk lamp).

So, 'fess up, DU, who is still "burning the candle at both ends" and who is down with the program that not only saves energy, but means you never have to change another %*^%#$@! light bulb again!

Here's something interesting for those who find the white light of fluorescent bulbs irritating. If you have a lamp with a nice deep yellow lampshade, the light that comes through the lampshade is indistinguishable from incandescent.
=====================================================================

Plus, here's a cool site from University of Arizona...

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~lwalters/Lab%206/part1.html

=====================================================================

Alright, evil DUers! Make yourselves heard! All comments welcome!

[IrateCitizen]

1. I have a pretty valid excuse -- my wife won't let me!

I used to have them in all over the house. But my wife continually complained about the light they gave off. Then, just recently, I changed all of the overhead lights throughout the house -- and the fluorescent lights won't fit in them with the cover on anymore.

I'll make up the difference when we buy a place a little further upstate in NY by investing in a wind turbine and/or solar panels.

[pinkpops]

7. Also, heat generation is a problem

in overhead lights. I didn't think this would be true, since they run cooler, but the ballast generates heat, and this in turn degrades the light output...this is what I read.

[tom_paine]

9. I've had fluorescent light for years and never had that problem

I will say that they do generate heat, but I have never noticed that to degrade light output over time.

Which doesn't necessarily mean it didn;t happen, but that I didn't notice it when looking at it (them) day after day after day.

Buy one bulb and try it out. If you don't like it, you're our about $8.00 (yes the price of fluoro bulbs has come down that much).

[pinkpops]

14. actually i have some but

I'm not using them in closed fixtures anymore. I replaced 100 W lamps with "equivalent" output fluorescents but they werent as bright, so I bought slightly brighter ones, but when I pulled the old ones I didn't like the burnt smell, chickened out, did a little reading, decided to pass on fluorescents in closed spaces.

[tom_paine]

17. 100W is too much and pretty hot...though the new bulbs are

getting better.

75W is good for me. Just buy an extra lamp for your living room. It will pay for itself in saved energy costs in a few months and the bulb will last for years.

[Terwilliger]

22. you're thinking of fluorescents?

The 16W halogens don't get hot (or, not very)

[brokensymmetry]

23. Attrition basis -

I swap mine out as the old incandescent lights die - but the less often used lights last me for years....

[mistertrickster]

2. Thanks for the post. Fluorescents DO cost more but you get compensated

by the energy savings over time as well as using less energy (so that ultimately fewer power plants need to be built etc.) and producing much less pollution.

I have a problem with fluorescents inside of enclosed glass fixtures. Seems like they get hot (?) and burn up faster.

[hatrack]

3. We're about half compact flourescent

In 4.5 years, we haven't had to replace a single one.

[tom_paine]

4. I still use 10+ year old fluorescents I got in college

Naturally, I use them in low-usage places now, but for several years they were in my primary lights.

And the sonsabitches are STILL going strong like I bought 'em yesterday.

[sendero]

5. I use mostly...

... flourescents, especially in high-use applications.

The price of these bulbs is starting to come down fast. They really are a good deal for you and for the environment!

[xxqqqzme]

6. I bought a number of

fluorescents a while back - as the incandescents burn out, we replace them w/ the fluorescents. I have had 2 do some hunting tho, some lamp shades w/ their wierd supports make it challenging 2 find a bulb 2 fit the lamp and still use the shade.

[kid shelleen]

8. Yup

Currently we're 2/3's fluorescent and will go all fluoro soon. We even put one in the deck light. Fluorescents r-o-c-k.

[Heddi]

10. we're buying Energy-Saving bulbs this weekend, actually :)

Hubby and I live in 1 bdrm apartment w/o central heat or air. THis month, our electric bill was $150---my mother's HOUSE which HAS HVAC AND several bedrooms doesn't have a light bill that high.

We were talking with some friends of ours who have a house, and who use energy saving bulbs and they said they noticed a difference in their electric bill within one month.

I don't particularly like the light they give out---our friends have them in the bathroom and they really really make your face look----awful! When I look in the mirror at their house, every broken capillary, every tiny scar, every minute blackhead is magnified 10,000,000 times!

But, considering I know I *don't* look that harsh normally :) we're going to get bulbs this weekend and replace the regular bulbs with them

[ender]

11. flourescents cause migraines :-(

so no - i dont use a damn one of them.

[mike1963]

12. The ones that screw into standard socket's don't. They don't flicker like

long tubes do.

[Terwilliger]

24. There seems to be some confusion...not talking long-tube fluorescent

The low wattage bulb-like bulbs that are only 16 watts!

[ret5hd]

13. Well, look at this even MORE effecient alternative...

3.6 watts (thats right, 3 point 6)
screws into existing lamp sockets
10 year life

and all for the low low cost of $132.00 per bulb

https://www.netdisty.net/ds/TRF-A19/default.asp

on edit: forgot to add link

[Terwilliger]

25. wow...thats a great deal

whatever the bulb costs is more than offset by the power savings

[Buffler]

15. No

I have oil soaked rags on the end of sticks. I live in a castle.

[DODI]

16. We just put them on our ceiling fixture --

one of the "seven year bulbs" went out in the first five minutes. And now, four days later, I pulled the chain to turn off the light and it made a frightening sound. Any ideas anyone. My electrician husband is not home.

[tom_paine]

18. Occasionally a bad-from-factory bulb blows way early

It sounds like you might have a problem with the socket.

Wait until the electrician can look at it before screwing in another lt bulb.

[tom_paine]

19. kick for the weekend crew!

:kick: :kick: :dem: :kick:

[TexasMexican]

20. I like them.

My house has mostly compact flourescent light bulbs.

I usually get the ones that are equivalent to 60w or 75w incandescents.

The only problem I have noticed with them is that in cold weather they take a while to warm up to full power.

[tom_paine]

27. That is true for outside bulbs

I haven't found it to be a major problem. The shorter the winter the less the problem is.

[hunter]

21. Our house is 100% fluorescent

Except for the bulbs in our "energy efficient" fridge. :)

Problems with the sizes of these bulbs, their color, and their use in enclosed fixtures used to be quite common. When I first started changing over to fluorescent lighting I had to change a few of the fixtures in our house.

But newer compact fluorescents are small enough to fit in most fixtures, and have a good color. There are now plenty of bulbs that can be used in enclosed fixtures, or even with a dimmer.

Almost all of the compact fluorescent bulbs sold today use a solid state ballast that does not have the 60Hz flicker that I find so annoying. (Come to think of it, that flicker may be why I hate to watch television!)

My electric bill is less than half that of my neighbors who don't use fluorescents, even though my wife hates a dark house and always leaves most of our lights on in the evening.

[supernova]

26. No I don't use flourescent bulbs

The only one I have is in the kitchen above the sink and I hate it, but unless I want to call an electrician, I'm stuff with it.

I just don't like the light they give off. And my eyes hurt.

My electric bill is reasonable now even with incandescent bulbs.

[spinbaby]

28. We have only a few regular bulbs

The flourescents don't work in the porch light--won't come on when it gets cold so we use an incandescent there. Also, we have a chandelier that takes tiny bulbs and use incandescents in there. Otherwise, I think we're all flourescent. We never really noticed a difference in the electric bill, but I suspect that lighting never really amounted to a high percentage of our electric usage in the first place.