I just bought some new CF bulbs for the first time since 2000, and feel like Rip Van Winkle

[slackmaster]

You may recall California's energy crisis in the summer of 2000, with rolling blackouts and Enron and the stage being set for the ourster of Governor Gray Davis.

Being a good environmental dude and financially thrifty, that summer I replaced every incandescent bulb I could with compact fluorescents, which had just come down dramatically in price. I bought a few extras, anticipating new light sources and occasional burnouts.

On Friday evening one of the two bulbs in my hall bathroom vanity fixture quit working, and I found that I was completely out of spare CF bulbs. I went to Home Depot early Saturday morning. I figured that the other three bathroom bulbs might be going out soon, and to ensure even color I should go ahead and replace them all.

To my delight, I found a wide range of choices that had not existed nine years ago. I decided to splurge on premium bulbs, and bought four 'ecosmart' brand daylight CF bulbs, 19 watts (75 watt equivalent) for a total of about $25.50 including sales tax (which will be increasing by 1% on Wednesday, BTW).

I am BLOWN AWAY by how much the technology has improved. The new bulbs make even my windowless bathroom cheerful and bright like, well, daylight. Through the pebbled glass of my shower door, the light coming from the vanity fixture is indistinguishable from what I would expect from a bright, sunny window. Everything is clear. The new bulbs have no perceptable flicker, and only the slightest audible hum.

After consulting with a friend who is an expert on lighting, I went to Costco on Sunday and bought a six-pack of DIMMABLE 23-watt bulbs. With a heavy subsidy being paid by San Diego Gas & Electric through the end of April, my cost for six bulbs came to under $12. Their color temperature is good though not dazzling like the ones I put in the bathrooms. They dim well down to a decently low level, and then become unstable and flicker. But what's interesting is the color temperature doesn't change as they dim. The effect is like bright moonlight.

Now I feel like a sucker for being an early adapter, but they have saved me a lot of money over the years. I am going to evangelize the new CFs to everyone I know.

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. I bought new lamps and then went to buy the energy wise bulbs.

They didn't work. They pack those babies so tight that you have to rip the packaging to shreds to get to them, and then, they don't work. I had to go back to the traditional to be able to get the full 3 way effect.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. In what way did they "not work?"

I have a "three way" CFL in my bedside lamp (have had for years) it works just ducky so far as I can tell.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. No three-way.

Click-(nothing)-click(nothing) click (On), click(nothing), click(nothing) click (off)

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Did you buy 3-way bulbs?

This sounds exactly like what would happen if you put a "normal" incandescent bulb in a 3 way socket. 3-way compact fluorescents are somewhat difficult to find, but they're out there, and they work as you would expect.

Click-Dim
Click-Bright
Click-Brighter
Click-Off

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. yep.

[OKIsItJustMe]

19. Another possibility…

Not too long ago, I saw an in-line multi-click switch which changed the brightness of a "normal" (incandescent) bulb. Essentially, it was a simple dimmer. This sort of switch does not work with a standard CFL.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. I'm hoping by the time I have to replace these, that something

new will be on the market.

[JSK]

2. Loyal DU'ers don't shop at Home Depot

Or at least they try not to.

[slackmaster]

9. No True Scotsman takes sugar with his porridge

In the interests of full disclosure, I happen to ownn some HD stock. I shop there because the store is well stocked with things I often need. The SDG&E subsidized prices are not available everywhere.

[elocs]

16. "Loyal DU'ers"? Did I miss having to take a loyalty oath here?

I'm a Democrat and I post at DU, but I would never take a pledge to be a loyal DUer. What exactly is a loyal DUer and what is a disloyal DUer? Hell, getting DUers together lockstep and of one mind on anything is like herding cats.

[OKIsItJustMe]

21. It was in the agreement…

You didn't really read the agreement, did you…

[Why Syzygy]

3. So our entire

tax relief will be used up paying sales tax? :wow:
It's already priced my smoking habit out of the picture.

[slackmaster]

12. Yes, and California state income taxes will be increasing in a few months

Working middle-class people are getting soaked.

[Why Syzygy]

22. Retied ones pay the same sales taxes.

This really sux. I just made the connection. So much for "recovery".

[tridim]

4. I'm getting a bit annoyed by all the different colors

I now have about 20 CFLs throughout my house and there are at least three different color temperatures and half of them have a slight delay before lighting while others are instant-on.

Not a deal breaker, just annoying. I wish they'd come up with some sort of standard color definition so different brands would match.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. Re: I wish they'd come up with some sort of standard color definition

Look for "kelvins" or "mireds"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Spectrum_of_light

[slackmaster]

11. The standard is blackbody radiation - It is cut and dried, but fluorescents can only approximate it

By combining multiple phosphors. I think the only way to ensure uniform color is to replace all of your bulbs at the same time.

[tridim]

13. I do, they still don't match.

[slackmaster]

10. When I crawl out of bed into a bathroom first thing in the morning, the delay is a blessing

I don't really need or want to be hit by the full intensity of daylight. The slow start makes it easier for my weak eyes to adapt.

In places where I need fully bright light immediately, I use sources that perform that way.

[Schema Thing]

14. Color temperature is fairly irrelevant

at least to your eye. That's why it doesn't look odd to you to come in from 6000K daylight to 2800K indoor light. Mixing bulbs in the same room will probably look odd to the eye, in some situations.


What you want (and what has improved greatly with fluorescent bulbs in recent years) is a high CRI (color rendering index). 80 is pretty good to the eye, 90+ is pretty good for photography. The sun and halogen bulbs both have a CRI of 100.

[slackmaster]

15. I use halogen bulbs for situations where color rendition is most important

e.g. the 50 watt halogen flood directly over my kitchen sink, where a lot of food prep and dishwashing take place.

I am extremely pleased with the color rendition provided by the daylight CFs. It is good enough for the bathrooms, where I most often make myself presentable and treat injuries.

[kestrel91316]

17. I have some CFLs I got free from LA DWP and they are so-so, but have

a very yellowish light. So I picked up another brand from Target (I forget which) and it's got that nice bright daylight. They are all great, because of their low energy usage, but some are better than others.

In my office I have the T8 fluorescent tube lights that use very little energy. Each fixture has 4 bulbs, and the old fluorescents were 40w each. These are way less ( forget exact wattage) and again the light is nice and bright, and not yellowish.

The CFLs in the house I was in from Jan 2000 to Nov 2007 and put in early in 2000 were still going strong when I moved out (for them to bulldoze the place and build two Persian Palaces which still sit empty, lol, serves that lying, cheating SOB of a landlord right, but that's another story). I expect the CFLs in my new place to go another 5-6 years, maybe more.

[SheilaT]

18. I m,ade the mistake of putting

some bright white CF bulbs in an overhead lamp and it's just awful. Way too bright, way too white. I just don't turn it on any more and will leave the bulbs behind when I more -- this is a rental.

I have had the problem of CF bulbs burning out within six months, so I have been somewhat underwhelmed by the supposed savings. And I haven't noticed any change in my electric bill. What am I doing wrong?

[OKIsItJustMe]

20. You may be buying bulbs that are too high in wattage

For example, in your overhead, a lower wattage bulb will probably not be "way too bright." The "way too white" concern is another matter. Different bulbs will shed different types of light.

By the same token, if it is an enclosed fixture, a too-high-wattage bulb may be overheating (shortening its life.)

And (of course) a too-high-wattage bulb will use more electricity than an appropriate bulb.

Honestly, back years ago, when I replaced our bulbs with CFL's the change in the electric bill was quite noticeable.

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

[SheilaT]

25. Since I really hate how white and how bright

those bulbs are, they are definitely staying here when I move. I have bought other CF bulbs since and not had that problem.

I do find myself very befuddled about the wattage ratings, however. I'm real used to the old incandescent bulbs, and know exactly how bright a 60 watt or 100 watt bulb should be. But when the package says something like 18 watts, as bright as 60 watts I honestly can't figure it out. My experience has been that the supposed claim of as bright as 60 watts simply does not match my remembered experience with the old-fashioned ones. is there some kind of rule of thumb I need to know about here?

Oh, and I have successfully bought three way CF bulbs, but the one I have simply does not get as bright as what I expected.

Another question: since they don't get as hot as the old incandescents, can I put in a stronger (by supposed wattage) bulb now? If I want the brightness of 100 watts, can I put the equivalent (25 watts, as bright as 100 or whatever the package might say) and not worry about burning the lampshade?

I do find the new bulbs to be very confusing.

[OKIsItJustMe]

26. Efficiency varies from bulb-to-bulb

The same number of watts, delivered to bulbs of two different brands may produce different amounts of light. You can try looking for "lumens" on the package. (In my experience) "better name" bulbs seem to produce more light for the same number of watts.

Some bulbs don't run well at all "upside down." They overheat!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent#Design_and_application_issues

You can use a brighter bulb without burning your light shade.

[SheilaT]

27. This helps.

But I still don't understand why there's not better standardization with these bulbs.

What exactly is "lumens"? I have certainly seen the word on the packages, but I don't actually understand what it refers to, how to evaluate it (them).

[OKIsItJustMe]

28. Re: What's a lumen?

Lumens are to visible light what Decibels are to sound.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_(unit)