Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) have really made the news lately and we are seeing them for sale everywhere. After reading an article on the cost savings of these bulbs, I decided it was time to take the plunge and try them. First, here’s the info on what makes CFLs so good:

ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs:

• ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
• Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime.
• Produce about 75 percent less heat, so they’re safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.

Link

Wegmans was offering a mail in rebate on CFLs so I decided to stock up.  The majority of our lights are either the larger can light bulbs or the smaller ceiling fan bulbs.  Both are available as CFLs.  We have a few standard bulb fixtures so I grabbed some of those as well.  Here’s what I learned.

1. CFLs do not dim.  I’ve read that dimmable CFLs are in the works, but I haven’t found any yet.  I tried a CFL on ceiling fan that is on a dimmer switch, but it stays very bright when the rest are dim.  I moved it to a non-dimming fixture.
2. For ceiling fans, make sure the CFL is labeled as such.  If you CFL isn’t built for the vibrations of a ceiling fan, it won’t last very long and you will lose the savings from the long life of these bulbs.
3. CFLs take a minute to warm up.  This is a little annoying, but once warmed up they are brighter and produce a better quality light than incandescents.
4. CFLs are cooler than incandescents.  So not only do you save money on electricity, but your rooms won’t heat up as much.
5. If you don’t like the wormy look of CFLs, shop around.  They are now being offered with covers so they look the same as traditional bulbs.
6. CFLs have some extra hardware that often makes them longer than regular bulbs.  Can lights can be adjusted so the CFLs won’t stick out too much, but you may not be able to fit a CFL into an enclosed light fixture.  Try shopping around though because there are many different varieties available.

We’ve been using the CFLs for about 6 months now and I really like them.  I’m waiting for the old bulbs to burnout before I switch which allows me to look for more CFL sales and rebates to stock up.  In our family room we have 9 can lights that use the larger 100 watt bulbs.  These would only last about a year and would start burning out at the same time.  I’m curious to see how long the CFLs will last and I think this will be the room where we see the most cost savings.

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