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Learning to love your compact fluorescent
“O.K. for a tattoo parlor” may not be good enough for your living room. Tips for effective and efficient lighting.
Now that new efficiency standards for light bulbs have been signed into law, we can expect two things to happen: compact fluorescents will become a lot more prevalent, and the technology will improve markedly in the next few years. We’ll also see the lighting industry in general shake up quite a bit, as the venerable incandescent dies a rapid death. Future improvements are small solace, though, to the people who hate compact fluorescents today. So here’s a bit of service journalism for those trying to improve their experience with the swirly bulbs. The first set of tips are some I excavated from the comments thread of a blog post a while back on this same topic:
And recently the Times rounded up some judges to rate the light from various bulbs. Amid the harsh comments, they do find a few bulbs they like, including some energy-efficient incandescents, halogens, and LEDs. Although most of the compact fluorescents were deemed unacceptable by the panel, there were several that were found to be not only acceptable but attractive. The n:vision TCP Home Soft White, for example, was deemed “a warm pleasant light.” The TCP Spring Light/Soft White was “almost warmer than incandescent,” one person said. And the MaxLite SpiraMax was generally liked, considered “pretty good” and “clean.” Handy chart included. Bottom line: try ‘em out, and see what works for you. Read the fine print on the box before buying — if you’ve got recessed lighting fixtures or dimmer switches, look for an appropriate product. If nothing works, consider alternatives such as energy-efficient incandescents, halogens, or LEDs. Tags: CFLs, Compact fluorescent light bulbs, Energy efficient lighting
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Comments2.
Comment by K Henderson
@ Jan 16, 2008 7 AM
 RE S-CFLs #1 - Robin, I have bulbs mounted diagonally in torcheres that I converted from halogen. They are partially inverted and have been fine, though not truly upside down. I have seen them in desk lamps at a motel and they seemed fine there, completely inverted. I know of no reason there should be a problem. 4.
Comment by terri
@ Jan 16, 2008 11 AM
Apparently CFLs can’t be used as a replacement for every incandescent light. A CFL shorted out my timer for the porch light. The manufacturer of the timer provided me with a replacement timer but said not to use CFLs in the porch light. Is there a way to know — ahead of blowing a device — whether a CFL will work correctly with it? 5.
Comment by Dale
@ Jan 16, 2008 9 PM
Dimmable bulbs have many deficiencies in appearance except for these: Microbrites by Litetronics. The are completely dimmable, strobable and heat tolerant made for commercial applications. The have 1/60 th the mercury of current cfls and are the next technology before LEDs become commercially avialable. They also last 2-3 times longer than current CFLs. They come in 2-8 watt configurations, frosted or clear. They have an interesting and artistic appearance. The inspired me enough to become a vendor for them. You can e-mail me at coolplanetgoods.com. We opened an eco-botique 6.
Comment by Joe
@ Jan 18, 2008 12 PM
Fcl’s are also not very good in ceiling fans. Not sure if it’s the vibration or not, but some stopped working soon after I put them in, others still work fine. If I take out the ones not working and try them somewhere else, they still work. Different bulbs work fine where the fcls used to be. Are there certain Fcls for fans? 7.
Comment by Tom
@ Jan 18, 2008 1 PM
I’ve used CFL in pretty much all my home fixtures including ceiling fixtures with a few exceptions. So far I’ve only had a couple of problems. One, in our bathroom vanity I’ve gone through a number of bulbs for some reason there (not sure if it is the moisture or what) and another case where the bulb in a ceiling fixture actually started to make pop and crackle sounds and go on and off. And the base was extremely hot. However, since replacing the bulb so far I have not had any problems. 8.
Comment by J
@ Jan 22, 2008 2 PM
I’ve used CFL’s in a number of home fixtures, and all seem to do OK. I have had 2 - 3 “dud” bulbs (or so it seems), where immediately or within a day or two of installation they were dead. This was not specific to any one fixture. The others I’ve installed over the past 4 years are ALL still going strong. I have CFL’s in floor/table lamps (screw side down), ceiling fans (screw side tilted up), hanging light fixtures (bulb horizontal), glass “dome” enclosed ceiling fixtures (bulb horizontal), recessed lighting (using the reflector CFL’s; screw side up) and even in a generic, open light fixture in my garage (standard CFL, screw side up; air temperature range from 40’s in winter to 90’s in summer). 9.
Comment by Anonymous
@ Jan 23, 2008 5 AM
I bought three totally different CFLs in ‘85. A home buyer insisted one stay with a sold home. One in the living room and one in my bedroom. 10.
Comment by Anonymous
@ Feb 19, 2008 8 AM
What about the mercury. Aren’t they dangerous if they break? And how can you throw them away? 11.
Comment by chuck
@ Mar 31, 2008 11 AM
I have three cfl bulbs in my hallway fixtures, we noticed a small pop when the fixture was turn on, I checked the connections and the grounding and all was OK. Then I removed the cfl bulbs, replaced them with standard lightbulbs and the pop went away. If the cfl bulbs have some kind of a starter in the base as I assume, the quick surge is causing the slight pop, am I right? Post a comment |
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I just read your article on compact fluorescents and appreciate the limitations of the bulbs. I do my part to use them where ever appropriate in my house. I am using them “upside down” in the basement and garage and have not had any problems. Is there any danger using them this way? Also, someone recommended GE Candle CFL bulbs to me a few years ago. I have found them to be a suitable esthetic compromise in some fixtures (although not the dining room chandelier!). They are great in my outside light fixtures and I have never had to change them (I think I have been using them 2 years or more). Although they take a few minutes to warm up, the 200 lumens seems adequate in hallways and as background lighting around the house. Is there any reason this option was not discussed in your comparison?