Letters to the Editor
-
when not to use compact fluorescent bulbs
1) anytime color rendition matters (i.e. artwork, color matching etc.)
2) any time the bulbs will be used outdoors in the cold. I recently replaced a PAR floodlight with a CFL equivalent. Now I can't use it unless I wait for at least 35 to 40 minutes for the CFL to reach full brightness. The same is true for the CFL's in my outdoor front lights. it would be interesting to contrast the energy usage of an incandescent bulb for five or 10 minutes while the dog does her stuff versus leaving a CFL on all evening so it will be on when we need it.
3) if you have photosensitive migraines triggered by blue or flickering light. By though very nature of how they generate light, CFL's have a strong blue component in their spectrum. blue light or flickering light is frequently implicated in migraine triggering. if you notice an uptick in the number of migraines you get after converting to CFL's, you might want to go back to the old standby. For what it's worth, white light LEDs are no better because they are basically blue LEDs with a white phosphor.
And as always, for any lighting, it's important to use the right amount of light for the task and in a fully shielded fixture so the light goes down on the ground where it belongs and not up in the air or in your eyes.
-
Missing the warmth ...
I'm changing my lights over to CFLs because I want to do what I can as an individual to limit the damage we humans are doing to our environment and world. That said, I'm in mourning for the warm, inviting, yellow light from old-fashioned light bulbs. I hope that CFL manufacturers can somehow improve them so that the light they emit is less blue, which washes out colors and, I'm sorry, just damps down my mood.
-
Is there a variety of fluorescents?
Our house has so many different types and sizes of fixtures that aren't standard. Huge globe bulbs, little candle flame shaped chandelier bulbs, can lights which are actually labeled "do not use fluorescent bulbs in this fixture".
Are replacements available for those? Do I need to do re-wiring?
Are there bulbs that the flicker doesn't give me a headache and the color doesn't make my face look red, splotchy and horrible in the mirror? If you have some brand recommendations, I'd be willing to try, but all I've tried and experienced drive me nuts.
I did buy a "bug light" replacement fluorescent for an outdoor overhead "can" fixture and it barely fits, as it's longer than the standard bulb, and tends to be dimmer, but it's the only one I have that doesn't annoy me.
-
Wintertime use
Pablo ignores that the heat generated by incandescent bulbs in the winter offsets other sources of heat. Such bulbs as a heat source are no less efficient than other electric resistant heat. So, given that the light is better, they represent sunk cost, and they don;t have to be landfill, yet, keep burning those standard bulbs until spring.
-
Typo
Please fix that typo, 3rd word, first sentence, second paragraph, that should be want not what.
-
Depressing? Yeah...
Wren makes a good point, worth expanding upon. The prospect of living forever bathed in florescent lighting is *very* lamentable. Make the conversion and henceforth all who visit your den will be cursed to look like gargoyles, as will you. Maybe younger progressives will bid farewell without a tear the personally cosmetic charms of an incandescent bulb; but, my dears, you're not immune. I've seen you, too, under florescents, and it's...not good. Not good. So if we're going to do this thing, let's at least take full note of and credit for the sacrifice we're making. An instant demotion in Earth's pecking order of personal beauty would depress almost anyone. If it doesn't you, you ain't never been perdy.
-
I can't tell the difference in light color
I replaced nearly all the incandescent bulbs in my house with compact fluorescents. I honestly can't tell the difference in light color (at least, once the bulbs have warmed up, which takes about a minute), and I certainly don't perceive any flicker. In fact, everything looks better in some rooms for the simple reason that I can use brighter bulbs and still save money.
For instance, my kitchen has 7 recessed can lights, which had 75 watt flood lights in them before. That's 525 watts whenever the kitchen lights were on (which is a lot). Now they all have 25 watt compact fluorescent flood lamps, which put out light equivalent to 100 watt incandescent bulbs. Total wattage is 175 - 66% less electricity usage for 33% more light.
Even if you can tell the difference between CFL and incandescent, unless it looks truly gruesome to you, it make a lot of sense to switch.
-
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.
-
Wren, DM, gradstudent...
I recently bought some Sylvania CFLs that were labeled as "soft white" and I'm really happy with the color, which is pretty close to incandescents. In general, you want to look for bulbs labeled soft white, as opposed to natural light or daylight (which will be bluer).