Energy saving lightbulbs

I went out for the day on Sunday and when I came home, DH informed me that he switched every single lightbulb (aside from the ones in our bathroom) to the energy savers.

I hate hate hate hate the light that they give off. I feel like I'm in an office when I'm sitting in my living room. I hate the fact that they take about a minute or so to "warm up". When I turn a light switch on, I expect there to be light immediately.

He is INSISTING that it will save us a ton of money - if you have done this, did it actually save you anything?

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I feel ya! but, i know the good that i am doing for my pocket book and my environment outweighs those annoyances.


when are they going to make dimmers? i can't find them but would love to use them in my brand new high hats!

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My husband did the same thing and I had the same reaction ESPECIALLY with the lights in the kitchen!

BUT I have to after awhile you get used to it and it did actually lower our electric bill more then I thought it was going to (don't remember how much exactly but I do remember being pleasantly surprised by it.)

With all that said though - you might not have the right color. Sounds crazy I know but there are different color energy saving lights. Soft white, bright white, etc. There is one that really feels like office lighting which I couldn't STAND. We ended up buying one of each color (there are like 3) and trying them all until we found the one we liked.

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There are just as many types of CFLs as "regular" bulbs. Dimmable, spot lights, candelabra lights, etc. There are also different light temperatures, just like regular bulbs. Something like "natural", "bright white", and "daylight". They give off different shades of light, just like regular bulbs. DH probably got the bright white, where you would probably prefer the daylight ones.

Most of the newer CFLs get to like 80% brightness immediately, which is usually more than enough for most uses.

There are plenty of dimmable CFLs, as well as 3-way bulbs, you just have to look for them. I've seen them at HD.

The ROI on those bulbs is a couple of years, I think. The thing that I like the best is that they last 10 times (or more) longer than regular bulbs, so now I don't have to try to replace the bulbs on the stairs lamp every few months....

I have candelabra CFLs on my outside wall sconces, and most of the bulbs in the house. I'm going to replace the can lights in the office with CFLs as they burn out.

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most of our house is the CFLs. We love them. I don't mind that they take a few seconds to warm up. It's easier on the eyes in the morning. But it does save you money in the long run. I guess if you can exchange for the softer color lights, then you might like them. We have the softer ones at home and love them. GL!

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they definitely save money, they use 75% less energy than incandescents...and i've been told that 30% of a household energy bill is from lighting the home...so if you can decrease that portion by 3/4, that'll be some decent savings each month.

these days the color quality is usually pretty similar between fluorescent and incandescent, as long as they are energy star...i promote these bulbs for my job and when we do demos at stores, customers usually cannot tell which is which under a lamp shade. i'm not trying to imply that you're crazy for thinking the light is different, but i just wanted to mention that in the past year or so they've come out w different color options...is it possible your hubby bought a whiter color bulb? there are 3 different colors, and the soft white is nearly the same color as a regular bulb. if he bought the bright white or the daylight color, that may be why you are not liking the light quality. even though he already replaced them all, if they were purchased at a big box store like HD, they might be willing to take them back in return for the soft white bulbs if you still have the packaging.

there isn't anything you can do about them taking a while to fully brighten, but to be honest i've gotten used to it. the only place i still keep regular bulbs is in the closet, where i'm in and out within a minute and really do need the light right away.

sorry you don't love them, but hopefully you'll get used to them and enjoy the savings you'll be seeing!!

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Posted by JldDolphin

I don't mind that they take a few seconds to warm up. It's easier on the eyes in the morning.

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Well I won't use them b/c they contain mercury. If they break (esp with a child in the house) I don't want mercury being expelled.

That's my reason so I don't care how much they save in the end.

Message edited 2/23/2010 11:09:42 AM.

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I hated them too, looks like florecent (sp?) lighting...i took it out looked too depressing.

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I am not a fan of them either for the same reasons posted above.

I will participate in going green and saving energy by turning off the lights in rooms when I am not in them and only turn lights on when I need to.

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As lights burned out over the past couple of years I swapped them out with the CFL lights. I did notice a drop in the electric bill along with a few other changes I made to energy usage that added up to a 10-15% decrease. It doesn't take that long for the lights to get to full brightness that it really bothers me - I just had to get used to it.

I can't remember the last time I broke a light bulb (20+ years) so I am not going to worry about mercury contamination. When you consider that you handle them so much less then a regular light bulb means less chances of breaking one.

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As far as the mercury issue goes, I can keep my family safe from any broken bulbs. However, I can't keep my family safe from the excess mercury in the air from using coal-fired plants powering incandescents.

http://www.ecofactory.com/news/cfl-light-bulbs-explained

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Posted by JeanetteAndSteve

Posted by JldDolphin

I don't mind that they take a few seconds to warm up. It's easier on the eyes in the morning.

i promote these bulbs for my job and when customers complain that they take too long to fully brighten, this is my comeback...they usually laugh at me; it made me smile to see that someone else thought of this as a selling point too!!

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I never knew about the mercury at all. I just use them to save money.

Mostly because my husband MUST have a light one while he eats even if he's sitting in full daylight. It annoys me to no end. He has to ALWAYS have a light on in the room he's in. Including if we're watching TV which really makes no sense to me at all.

I am light sensitive due to my eye colors so I guess its different for me. It does take time to get used to the 'warm up' time but I have definately seen a drop in my bill!

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i agree with you. i hate the light they give off. it's not worth the $$$ savings to me. makes me sad because i'm very environmentally aware and like to conserve.

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Are we married to the same man? My DH did the same thing a few months ago. Funny how they don't include us in these decisions.

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Posted by HeatherRose

thanks for posting this. I will continue to look into this and read the info about it. I did read that they would like to eventually ban the light bulbs we currently use and make these the only ones you can buy. I think its a long way away, but its a move in the right direction. my only concern is when they break. if I could get over that, i would buy them. (although we id get one free and i tried it, and it was as bright as a night light and had such a horrible blue hue, we threw it away. Wait- if we throw them away aren't we eventually going to be dumping a ton more mercury into the ground? The power plants can't change their ways (can they??) maybe this isn't the best enviromentally friendly option

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Posted by GoldenRod

Posted by HeatherRose

thanks for posting this. I will continue to look into this and read the info about it. I did read that they would like to eventually ban the light bulbs we currently use and make these the only ones you can buy. I think its a long way away, but its a move in the right direction. my only concern is when they break. if I could get over that, i would buy them. (although we id get one free and i tried it, and it was as bright as a night light and had such a horrible blue hue, we threw it away. Wait- if we throw them away aren't we eventually going to be dumping a ton more mercury into the ground? The power plants can't change their ways (can they??) maybe this isn't the best enviromentally friendly option

HomeDepot takes the old CFL bulbs (as well as a few other stores, but I'm in HD all the time, so I know about them. I've dropped off two bulbs so far)

The European Union banned the sale of incandescent bulbs in August of 2009.
Nearly all CFL manufacturers are drastically reducing the amount of mercury in their bulbs.

LED bulbs have no mercury, but are $$.
Other companies are working on CFL alternatives
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211140629.htm

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We tried them (high-hats and candelabra) and we both hated them. The dimmable bulbs were on the weak side (meaning they didn't offer enough light range IMO), but we've read different sources that state sometimes you need a specific dimmable switch. The candelabra ones are aesthetically unappealing when they're unlit, unless you have shades over them, which I don't on some of my sconces.

We've been looking into the LEDs for the high-hats.

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Posted by rkoenke

I feel ya! but, i know the good that i am doing for my pocket book and my environment outweighs those annoyances.


when are they going to make dimmers? i can't find them but would love to use them in my brand new high hats!