anyone use florescent light bulbs?

[kris]

<span style='font-size: 11pt'> <span style='font-family: Georgia'> <span style="color: #663366"> i keep hearing that this type of lighting is more eco~friendly as well as more economic. we have just about finished switching all our lamp bulbs to florescent ones. have yet to receive a new electric bill....that will be next month.

does anyone else use this kind of lighting? what if any difference have you noted?

kris </span> </span> </span>

 

[SRL]

I don't use them but for those concerned about mercury, they do contain that. Google for more info.

 

[DammitJanet]

We switched the whole house over the last month or two. It took us a couple of months to do it. We noticed about a 20 buck drop in the power bill just from changing 5 bulbs the first month. Of course we leave quite a few lights burning.

 

[busywend]

When I moved into my house a couple years ago, they had alot of flourescent bulbs. Some have gone out and I replaced with regular.
I do have 2 new light fixtures in my kitchen with flourescent bulbs - round ones. They are soooo expensive. So far, lasted about 18 months - one is flickering though so I think it will be dead soon.

 

[muttmeister]

I use almost all of those kinds of bulbs but I didn't see that it made a big difference in my bill. Maybe it did. My house is all electric and the bill varies a lot because of using heat and air conditioning so I can't tell if there is a big change as it is a lot different each month. They do last a long time though so they sure are great for the places that are hard to get to.

 

[WhymeMom?]

Does the buzz bother anyone else?...I don't get this because my hearing isn't what it used to be, but it's like I can block everything else and still hear the Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

 

[kris]

<span style='font-size: 11pt'> <span style='font-family: Georgia'> <span style="color: #663366"> we have a few three way fluorescents & they do buzz when first turned on. they stop after a few seconds.

for single wattage we paid about $8 & for 3 way it was about two dollars more.

kris </span> </span> </span>

 

[DammitJanet]

Walmart has these bulbs in six packs for a lot cheaper than that! Mine also dont buzz that I can hear. I get the small ones that fit like light bulbs and they are like the equivalent of 60 to 75 watts and I think they cost me either 7 bucks for a 3 pack or 10 bucks for a 6 pack.

Now I suppose the long bulbs may buzz...like in schools. A maintenance man showed a trick that said wedging a piece of cardboard in one fixed that. Try it.

 

[amstrong]

We get 'em at Sam's. Just began using them. Mother in Law swears she has seen a reduction in electric bill. i doubt very seriously if we will see any reduction since we just put in the pool and will have the pump running. husband did, however put a time on the pump so it only runs from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

 

[kris]

<span style='font-size: 11pt'> <span style='font-family: Georgia'> <span style="color: #663366"> my three ways are 50/100/150...we need three of those. three 100's & then for the hall light we'll probably get a 60. that pretty much covers out lighting needs. i'm anxious to see next month's electric bill to see if there's a difference. the three ways buzz for just a few seconds & then stop. hasn't bothered us a bit.

kris </span> </span> </span>

 

[rejectedmom]

We use them in some rooms but they cast a very green light that I find doesn't always work with the decor. -RM

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Pro:
- CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) use only 20 to 25% as much electricity for a given light output as incandescent bulbs.
- They last 8 to 15 times longer.
- They generate a lot less heat: 30% of energy used is lost to heat as compared to 90% in incandescent bulbs.

Con:
- the purchase price of CFLs is much higher (the cost is recouped fairly quickly in energy efficiency, though).
- They can't be disposed of in the trash. They must be recycled because of their mercury content.
- They can pose a health hazard if they break, again because of mercury. You have to be careful not to breathe vapors or touch the shards directly if one breaks.
- They are sensitive to low temperatures and may not light at all below freezing.
- They are more sensitive to frequent cycling on and off, which can significantly cut down on the longer life span (then again, they use so much less electricity that you still save even if you leave them on all the time.)
- They are not very suitable for use on a dimmer switch.

Wikipedia entry on Compact Fluorescent Lamps

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

RM -- you can get them in a lower "color temperature", i.e., more yellow. Myself, I like more white; I find that fluoerecent lighting causes less eyestrain.

I have been replacing incandescent bulbs at home with CFL as they burn out. We get a lot of voltage spikes so bulbs blow out with amazing regularity.

 

[TerryJ2]

I use the new warm light curly bulbs. I put one in my art studio 3 yrs ago and haven't changed it yet! Too bad they're so goofy looking.
Fluorescents make me agitated for some reason. :frown:

 

[Luminosity]

We have almost completely switched over including our outside house lights. It gets to well below freezing where I am. They make a difference in the kitchen potlights no heat when standing under them. I like the curly shape. One thing I don't like is how long it takes for them to reach full brightness especially in the basement.

Lumi

 

[witzend]

Perhaps they have changed, but I really disliked the greenish cast that they had 5-6 years ago. I would have to see them for myself to know that they were any different than they used to be.

 

[DammitJanet]

Mine arent green at all. In fact they are more yellow or slightly orange to start with. They slowly warm up to a normal light as far as I can tell. Mine are equivalent to a 60 watt bulb in the bedrooms and living/family room but 75 in bathroom and kitchen. I dont have 100s anywhere.

 

[Marcie Mac]

I have pretty much replaced all of the incandescent bulbs in the house with these - the ones in my bedroom ceiling fans have been in there about three years without any replacement. I just had to replace one in the kitchen fan - that was about three years as well.

It definately made a different in my electric bill - down by about 35.00 a month. My lights are on pretty much on all the time since someone is usually up and about all night long.

They are actually trying to outlaw incandescent bulbs here in Ca.- wish they would worry less about the bulbs and more about the gas that is running 3.50 plus a gallon..

Marcie

 

[Wiped Out]

We have them in the kitchen. They were there when we bought the house 17 years ago. I don't know that we've ever had to change them-maybe once at the most. We also haven't had any buzzing. I like them where we have them.

 

[ediwiz]

We have replaced all of our bulbs (inside and out) with CFL's. They come in different shades, my daughter likes the "daylight" ones for the light outside her bedroom. We even use Florencent outdoor spotlights. They save us a ton, easy child needs a "night light" so the one mentioned above stays on all night. They are only useful if you plan to have the light on for more than 20 minutes at a time. Anything less than that you may as well use a standard bulb. I don't hear any buzzing with mine, but not sure, too much general chaos in the house. I have one socket that eats bulbs. I use to go through 1 a month, now with CFL's it will last a year at a time.

Here is the government site, not that wikipedia isn't generally good, but it is written by the general public (most schools won't allow you to use them as a source). The government has their own slant, but at least they can be held accountable for the information.... LOL


http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls


Sherry