Switching to Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs
Thursday July 3, 2008
You know you've thought about it, and now is the best time to go out and replace your old lightbulbs with the newer, more energy efficient, longer-lasting compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). My husband and I put it off forever because of the higher cost of the CFLs, but we finally gave in back in March and replaced them all.
It wasn't a small expense – we replaced 35, 25¢ lightbulbs with 35, $3 lightbulbs – but we haven't changed one single lightbulb since. It's great because we were literally buying a pack of the old lightbulbs every other week, and now we still have CFLs to spare. So, quit procrastinating and replace yours already (Compare Prices on CFL's). In three months, both you and Mother Nature will be glad you did.
It wasn't a small expense – we replaced 35, 25¢ lightbulbs with 35, $3 lightbulbs – but we haven't changed one single lightbulb since. It's great because we were literally buying a pack of the old lightbulbs every other week, and now we still have CFLs to spare. So, quit procrastinating and replace yours already (Compare Prices on CFL's). In three months, both you and Mother Nature will be glad you did.
Comments
I’ve been using CFL’s for more than 10 years already and have found the recent debate exaggerated in many areas. Sure there are positives and negatives with using CFL’s, but with the energy savings, life, and color correction available (if you use the full spectrum type) it seems most of us should agree there are very practical uses for CFL’s. Carbon footprint and global warming aside, the energy savings originally motivated me and I’ve never looked back.
For new users, I would always warn to be sure of size compatibility with your fixtures, and if you care at all about glare, eyestrain, color appearance - consider getting used to the full spectrum types. These are whitish/blue and take some adjusting, but personally I love them.
FYI I’ve found local stores carry only the most standard and simple types of CFL’s. Specialty lighting providers seem to always be up on the newest items, and the past 2 years I’ve found excellent products via a company called Bulborama -
http://www.bulborama.com
CFL’s are here: http://www.bulborama.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=4
P.S. - I still use halogen and incandescent in some areas, but nearly 100% CFL’s in my home.