Letters to the Editor
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They're great, but for rheostat lights, try LEDs
A few months ago we bought "dimmable" (ha ha ha) CFL eyeball light bulbs and replaced our incandescents in the living room with them. If you're thinking of doing the same, don't bother. I wouldn't necessarily call them "dimmable" as much as "capable of two settings"--blaring, and slightly less blaring. Also, for some reason, they take a long time to warm up, so for the first few minutes we turn them on, the light in the living room is quite dim. I've walked out of the house several times with mismatched socks that I put on in the living room during this crucial warm-up period.
However, if you really are set on dimmable mood lighting, here's some info about the recessed LED lights we're putting in our new addition:
http://www.llfinc.com/faq.htm
Anyone who thinks LEDs can only be used for Christmas trees and under-cabinet lighting needs to see these in person. They're $100 a bulb...but we're not going to be changing another bulb until our 3-year-old graduates from college. We're told they'll pay for themselves in about 4 years.