01-03-2007, 07:04 AM
[quote mikebw][quote davemchine]I calculated the savings once and realized it was negligible. It's the big appliances that suck the juice.
True, but on a larger scale if everybody switches the bulk of their bulbs to CFL, the energy savings would be quite significant. Glad you did your own research though, and the convenience factor is important to understand too.
Plus is power is green to begin with (I think.)
My biggest complaints about CFLs are:
- The base is generally larger than a regular bulb so it will not fit in many fixtures
- The bulbs are often not the standard dimensions for their size. For example, the bulbs in my kitchen (R30?) stick down an extra half inch which makes the recessed lighting no longer recessed.
- The bulbs are often brighter than their rating suggests
- They don't handle cold temps very well. If I don't leave my exterior lights on all the time, for ~4 months out of the year they will not turn on at night.
- They don't last anywhere near as long as advertised. I've tried a few different brands.
- Some of them buzz. In my kitchen I had ten lights and when each one buzzed it was rather loud.
- There's a delay when turning them on. Three-way CF bulbs have a delay in between levels.
Sure I've returned many brands and models, but it gets old continually trying to search for a bulb that doesn't have a ton of problems.
True, but on a larger scale if everybody switches the bulk of their bulbs to CFL, the energy savings would be quite significant. Glad you did your own research though, and the convenience factor is important to understand too.
Plus is power is green to begin with (I think.)
My biggest complaints about CFLs are:
- The base is generally larger than a regular bulb so it will not fit in many fixtures
- The bulbs are often not the standard dimensions for their size. For example, the bulbs in my kitchen (R30?) stick down an extra half inch which makes the recessed lighting no longer recessed.
- The bulbs are often brighter than their rating suggests
- They don't handle cold temps very well. If I don't leave my exterior lights on all the time, for ~4 months out of the year they will not turn on at night.
- They don't last anywhere near as long as advertised. I've tried a few different brands.
- Some of them buzz. In my kitchen I had ten lights and when each one buzzed it was rather loud.
- There's a delay when turning them on. Three-way CF bulbs have a delay in between levels.
Sure I've returned many brands and models, but it gets old continually trying to search for a bulb that doesn't have a ton of problems.