There is certainly different qualities of light from CFLs - I cannot stand some while others are fine.

Here is what you need - http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/liquid-cooled-led-bulb-worlds-first-16-07-09/

Sorry, but the bulk of lighting in public buildings is already commercial fluourescents. The 40W 4-ft bulb is present at SRS by the thousand.

(In a fascinating design choice, there are 4 of them in my office ceiling, but only 2 30-watters in the building's bathrooms, where they are the sole lighting. Evidently we do not have to see what we are doing in there.)

There are advances being made. The little bulbs are pretty primitive now and vary widely in reliability, but they'll get better.

Fundamental thing to note: in usage where room temperature is naturally under about 70 DEGF, the use of an incandescent has less impact than is being represented because it contributes to actual heating of the room. When removed, building heat has to be raised. This is being ignored.

Did you have to deal with the early low-flush toilets? They used 1/3 less water per flush, but you needed at least 3 flushes to do the job. The new ones work fairly well.

My house is lighted almost exclusively by CFL.

I can tell you that there is a massive variance in both light quantity and quality.

The U-shaped tubes with the wierd-ass 4-pin base are only as good as the ballast. The one in my bathroom fixture takes a good five minutes to come up to full brightness.

The swirlys vary. The 99 cent specials are ass. bad light, and nowhere near enough. I put them in the basement, and again, 5 minutes before full light.

I have the high-end Sylvania bulbs (3500K) in the living room, and they're instantly full brightness (or at least 90%), and the light is fantastic. But they're about 7 bucks a pop.

The nice thing about fluorescent reading lamps - no heat.

Oh, if you want GOOD light from fluorescent, the tubes are the way to go. The new electronic ballasts hardly hum at all, and no flicker, which was always a deal-killer for me.

I've got a 4-tube cloud in the office, and it's great for work.

As always, you get what you pay for.

I think the ugly-factor would bother me the most (I don't usually use overhead lights, anyway - lamps are far more flattering!).

Just moved in w/ Mr. Fiance and we need to replace some light and some bulbs. He has a CLF in the bathroom, where there is only one overhead light. Applying makeup in there is not possible so I have to move into the t.v. room (unless I want to cake it on like a clown).

I'd be a happy camper if I could have a few of these beauts in my house! Amy, maybe you should ask your landlord to replace the new crappy light w/ one of these, maybe the Da Vinci? So over the top and I love them all!!!

http://www.lightology.com/schonbek.cfm

We replaced the lamps outside our building with the weird-shaped things, and they perform brilliantly. Nine year guarantee, a tiny fraction of the old wattage, and they take back the night, as our side lawn were a rock concert stage. I teased the guy: If we only get 8 years of magnificent service out of them, we're going to want our money back

Crid -

You can get away with that where you are. The overnight low never sees the south side of 50 degrees.

Around these parts, 10 degrees F is not unheard of in the depths of January. CFLs won't even fire at that temperature.

We've used CF bulbs for a while, but we went back to incandescents for places where we turn lights on and off frequently and use for short periods of time, like bathrooms.

I'm looking forward to LED bulbs becoming affordable, but they'll probably have their own annoyances.

I hate flourecnt tube bulbs, I can hear the humming even when they are more than 20ft overhead.

I have to wear earplugs or headphones while I shop cause the noise literally drives me nuts

Magnetic ballasts. They drive me up a wall too. When I bought this house, there was one of the old Circline fixtures in the kitchen. Turned it on, and it buzzed like a motherfucker. I said "That's gone, day of the closing."

And it was.

The other problem with magnetic ballasts is the light flickers at 60 Hz (actually 120, but whose counting), which I can detect. Especially back in the days of CRT screens that also ran at 60 Hz refresh. HEADACHE CITY.

I took the bulbs out of the fixture over my cube and got a halogen light to work by.

I don't post here often, though I do read here nearly every day, but had to comment on this one. For those who hate these lights- be glad your not epileptic. My husband is and the light give him headaches and mild facial seizures. If we save money it because we can't turn them on.. Same thing with the tube lights in the laundry room. We open our lovely big windows or wait to do stuff when he isn't in the room.

I think somebody isn't testing this stuff or thinking about how it will effect other people.

funny thing about light... it can be modified. I changed to all CFL a couple of years ago. Out of 8 I had 2 early failures that were replaced under warranty. Other than that it's all good. But, I shopped different brands untill I found one I liked the sound/color of and so on. When I found one that was close, I gelled them to get the light right, and viola, looks better than any incan. Very little heat, and I can have almost every light on in my house for the price of 200 watts. On the other hand, for specific tasks like a reading lamp? I have the expensive rare earth kind, that also last for years, because the light is right.

the question is how do you make the light right, and many people are just used to seeing that garbage incandescent lighting. If you look at light merely as a starting point, and think what you can do with it, then you can decide what you like best.

As it is, a mix is likely to be best, and finding CFL's that you like, and gelling them up works wonders. ESP. for lights you have on all the time like kitchen/hallway/livingroom. Also? When you replace incans. with CFL's keep the incans if they work. Then, if you move, take the CFL's with you. I haven't bought bulbs in 3 years for that reason...

We have a great selection of European and Asian CFLs here in Israel - and you can get lovely, warm white light with name-brand "swirlies" (as another poster called them).

A friend who is a designer has mini-tube flourescent fixtures that wash the stucco walls with light, complemented by halogen spots/reading lamps in activity areas. The effect is bright and restful without heat or glare (which we have enough of outside). Probably a nice effect for SoCal also.

Amy - are the fires near you?

Now that the Lords of All Wisdom have decided that we must phase out incandescent lamps, how long until they decide to ban electric ovens and make everyone cook exclusively with microwaves?

The nameplate on my electric oven says 8KW...I assume that's a peak power, and the average is probably more like 4KW as the thermostat cycles on and off...but still, that's as much power as 40 standard incandescent bulbs running continuously.

Almost all of our lamps are turned on by a wall switch or timer. The CFL package said not to use a CFL in that kind of set-up. I've already destroyed two CFLs, trying to use them in my living room (timer) lamp. So, I have to use indandescents (which I won't be able to buy at some point).

Improper disposal of compact fluorescent light bulbs is very dangerous to your family and to the environment. In some states, it is illegal to put these light bulbs in your trash.

It's easy to dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs properly. Just send them to your Senator or Congressman in Washington. Or send them to the EPA.

You can find your Senator's mailing address here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

You can find your Congressman's mailing address here: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Or send your used light bulbs to EPA headquarters in Washington:
Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460

Isn't your family's health worth the small postage cost? Don't you want to help save the planet from this environmental nightmare? You'll sleep better at night knowing your deadly mercury-containing light bulbs are with the experts in our nation's capital. Send your light bulbs to Washington!

For more information, check out our web site at http://www.SendYourLightBulbsToWashington.com

Ok. I see the term, "magnetic ballast" (it's really a simple inductor) and a couple of other things...
Don't miss looking these up.

You can use ANY switch which applies full line voltage across your lamp immediately. You CANNOT use a dimmer designed for single incandescent fixtures on a fluorescent. You might find some horrendous things happening if you try, because such dimmers will set up electrical resonance at various settings.

The other thing you cannot use are electronic switches - they HAVE to be relays. If it doesn't make a loud CLICK! when it turns the light on, then it's going to fry the CFL's circuits.

If you drop a fluorescent bulb on the floor and it breaks, you have mercury contamination above recommended safety levels. I did this once and happened to have a Jerome Mercury Vapor Analyzer handy - readings were quite high. After carefully cleaning the hardwood floor, the concentrations dropped to a reasonable level. Wouldn't want to drop one on a kitchen counter, and toss the rug if one lands on it or near it. Also little kids crawl on floors where the exposure level would be greatest. Hmmm, save the planet but contaminate your child.

Thid -

That's because liberals are marginal thinkers. They don't contemplate anything beyond zeroth-order effects.

Which is why they are able to come up with such stupid policy prescriptions and discuss them with total seriousness.

And they act surprised when you point out the obvious results of their idiocy and cry "That's not what I meant!"

The other thing you cannot use are electronic switches - they HAVE to be relays. If it doesn't make a loud CLICK! when it turns the light on, then it's going to fry the CFL's circuits.

So, I have to change out all my switches?

And throw the old ones in the landfill.