Bright Ideas for Home Lighting

Years ago we installed dimmer switches in many of our lights. We like to be able to lower the lighting level and the bulbs last much longer. We have replaced all our on/off lights with CFLs but I have not found a good dimmable CFL. Is there one out there?

Thanks,
Bob

Our family is very conscious of trying to be environmentally
friendly. We just purchased 10 new CFL bulbs for our home. The cost
was almost $50. I cold have purchased the same amount of
incadencent bulbs for $6.65 but we are willing to test the
products. I will report our evaluation of both the energy savings
and how well they work/last at regular intervals to MEN.

I have heard some interesting things about the CFL. Did you know
that every bulb contains mercury, and if one is broken clean up can
be very costly. How are they to be disposed of, I would say most
people are not aware of the mercury content in these bulbs and most
of them will end up in the landfills where they will break. Where
does that Mercury then go... into the soil and natural water table.
No CFL's are made in the U.S. the majority are made in China which
is putting up coal burning factories at the rate of 1 per week,
with NO restrictions on air pollution. Does it make sense to save a
few bucks when you look at the big picture? By the way, California
is trying to ban the incandescent bulb.

I find the bulbs work very well if you choose a higher wattage. If
I am replacing a 75 watt incandescent I will use a 100w CFL. The
only negative issue I see is the mercury content.

We switched to CFLs in our kitchen and it works well there, but I
don't like the quality of the light. I find it harsh and
unsettling. It's great for areas that are sort of 'work' areas, but
for relaxing areas like the living room or bedroom, the light
doesn't fit well. Is there a low-energy substitute that gives the
warmth of incandescents? Also, the CFLs we have take some time to
put their full strength when the house is cold. Since we keep our
thermostat down, that's most of the winter.

1st: Flourscent light give me a headache - for that reason
switching is a problem. 2nd: Why conserve (yes i agree conserving
is important but) when we consumers use less of utilities over an
extended period of time, the providing companies start whining
about not raking in the $50 mil in profits per person they are used
to getting so they double, quadruple the cost of ther product so
they can continue milking the public for their fat wallets. Why
should I pay 4x as much for using 1/2 as much product??? If I'm
conserving the materials i use then my finances should be in equal
proportion, not less! -- when you don't buy a product in a store or
cars don't sell, they don't raise the price - they drop it -
utilities should function the same way! Yes, there is exaggeration
above, but I'm sure everyone will understan the point.

I'm so sorry to hear about Rick's situation. My experience has been
the complete opposite. I recently changed the lights in my house to
CFLs and LOVE THEM! The cost was a bit prohibitive, but I asked for
bulbs for Christmas and was able to finish the job. I've had no
failures and definitely saw an improvement in my electricity bill.
I recommend them to anyone.

Thanks for a great article. How does low-voltage lighting fit into
the picture? I would love to see the grid on "How much cash do
light bulbs burn" be extended with a low voltage option. I am
building several small cabins and could easily conver the entire
cabin to low voltage if that was more effecient. thanks! Michel

I have to admit my interest in fluorescents is purely economical. I
like the light fluorescents emit but my wife likes the light from
incandescent bulbs better. She also likes the price of incandescent
bulbs better. So, after much discussion about how fluorescents are
more economical in the long run and with the help of some coupons
my wife conceded and we bought a dozen fluorescents. My wife was
actually impressed with how much the light quality improved since
the last time I bravely inserted one in one of her beloved lamps.
However, both of us quickly started becoming discouraged as we
watched each lamp fail. Our dozen bulbs lasted no longer than a few
months. Our five-year guarantee was over in as many months. This
has been a recurring problem for as long as I have given
fluorescents chance after chance. Unless the quality can
significantly improve the general public is going to quickly become
discouraged at this new technology in lighting. It is much too
early to be promoting fluorescents as one of the magical cures to
our Greenhouse problems. I’ll buy one more bulb and if it lives up
to expectations I’ll buy another bulb. If it gives me more than a
few months service I’ll buy another.