I give it more like 10.
LEDs are still WAY more expensive than CFLs, and are just now approaching their efficiency. They are point sources, which make them really difficult to use for many situations. They also have lumen maintenance issues, so their lifetimes aren’t any better than CFLs.
There is nothing you can do to make a fluorescent look the same as an incandescent under all circumstances, because fluorescents have a discrete spectrum made up of a few individual wavelengths, while incandescents have a continuous spectrum which is a mix of all different visual wavelengths. I believe white LED lights have a continuous spectrum, but I’m not sure about that.
CFLs are very bad in places where they get turned on and off frequently.
All the methamphetamine smokers and crackheads are gonna be pissed when incandescent light bulbs are banned.
They have mercury in them. You aren’t supposed to just throw them out in the trash. Our county recycling advises we can drop them off at any of a number of hardware stores.
I keep a few plain old light bulbs around for emergencies, when the energy bulbs go out and I have to wait till payday to buy new ones. I also have a metal ring that fits over a light bulb, used for heating perfume-oil room scents.
Before we left the States in 2006, we bought a few CLFs and put them in fixtures. They all burned out within a few weeks of regular usage. Apparently that’s not typical, but it did happen to us.
Are they “instant on” now? Here in Japan, pretty much all residential fixtures are fluorescent (and ulgy as hell), and they take a good 5-8 seconds to turn on. Not to reach full brightness (that’s more than a minute), but to emit any light at all. It’s really inconvenient if you’re just stepping into a dark room for a second to look for something.
So are my Christmas bubble lights now going to be illegal? They won’t work without heat from the bulb. We need to beat every congressman with a baseball bat. This bill had better have exceptions for when an incandescent the only good bulb to use like in an oven.
I use CFLs all throughout my house. All of them come on instantly, and except for a huge 3-way 200W-equivalent in one lamp, they all come up to full brightness in seconds - most don’t seem to have any ramp-up at all.
The one in my room takes several seconds to produce any light, too. Long enough to make me check to make sure it’s plugged in, anyway.
While that’s certainly what I’ve heard, it doesn’t match my own experience. I’ve had several CFL’s burn out within a year or two, sometimes while incandescent bulbs in the same fixture go cheerfully on burning.
Except they don’t last ten times as long. I have been replacing them in my house over time and the CFL’s have burned out FASTER than incandescents. I’ve replaced many CFL’s over incandescents with similar run times.
There is a HUGE gap in quality with CFL’s on a number of levels. First, the time it takes them to turn on. Many of them are not instant. Second, the time it takes them to reach full illumination. This is affected greatly by temperature. Third, is flickering. Fourth is color wavelength and fifth is longevity.
In my state, they have legislated power companies to reduce consumption of their product and my utility company has underwritten the cost of the bulbs through retail outlets. I can buy a pack of 8 CFL’s for $1.83 and yes I have been buying these up since I’m paying for it anyway on my electrical bill. Unfortunately Cleveland Ohio’s electrical company used a different tactic. They are distributing 2 bulbs directly to each resident. :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack:. It is costing the user a fortune to do this.
I just installed a security light inside my detached garage so I have a light that will shut off when I leave at night. It has (2) 60 watt lights in it which should be blindingly bright. :rolleyes: Even in summer they suck and in Winter they are ridiculously dim. When I built the garage I installed 2 conventional light sockets and 4 overhead fluorescent fixtures (dual 4’ tubes). It takes the overhead fixtures forever to reach maximum brightness so I will keep using incandescent bulbs for the main switch. The same goes for the attic lights in both the garage and my house.
While I’m on a rant, why are are the 75 watt equivalent CFL bulbs not bulk packed? It seems to be either 60 watt or 100 watt equivalent. I have always felt like the light bulb Nazis not only want to force me to use CFL’s but are trying to get me to use 60 watts instead of 75 watts worth of light.
I’ve been replacing all my incandensent bulbs as they blow out for three or four years now. Not a single one has blown out. They oldest ones are slow to light and have odd lighting, but the newer ones light instantly and have great light.
On another board I post at, we have these discussions every couple of months. Interestingly, they only people who have issues with the bulbs blowing out are conservatives. And they all have the same problem, despite the statistical unlikeliness.
Odd.
Slight hijack, I have two questions on CFLs. First, in my daughter’s room, one CFL has a swirling light tha remains even after the power is off. Any idea why? Secondly, anyone else notice how CFLs take a while to come to full light in cold rooms?
The problem I have with CFLs is their size. The 50-100-150 W 3-way equivalent is much bulkier than their traditional counterpart, and they do not physically fit into both of my lamps that require them. The warm up time required before reaching full brightness is also annoying. I also agree that this seems to be much worse when it is cold.
Outdated? So you laugh at those of us who are color-blind and can’t use fluorescents because they don’t work, period. The color spectrum fails me. The flicker fails me. Yeah, I can see flicker in fluorescents. Both cause literal pain in the eyes. At work I’ve removed all ceiling fluorescent lighting within a 30-foot diameter of my desk, and I’m not alone. All over the office are ceiling dark spots where folks removed the lights.
Obama and Congress can do all the mandating they want, but it will be at a great cost. Fluorescent lighting is an accessibility issue and my employer can be forced to provide alternative lighting. In time, we will force the issue. Until then, removing them works just fine.
Well, now you’ve met a liberal who’s had problems with them burning out quickly.
The price on CFLs is already pretty low. Why the clinging to the dinosaur?
What does Obama have to do with this?
LEDs are the way to go.
So, is my antique Tiffany-style lamp going to be obsolete as well? (Or will the CFL’s work with it?) If it is, I’m going to raise holy freaking hell.
Add one more liberal with these things burning out very quickly. In my experience, they burn out much faster than incandescents. Also, they are useless for places like closets and bathrooms where you need light on quickly for a short period. I got very sick of doing my business with mood lighting.