Do CFL bulbs really save money?

[Dan Hintz]

I also replaced a 175w Mercury Vapor dusk to dawn fixture on my shop with a non-CFL fluorescent.

I'm trying to figure out what a non-fluorescent CFL is... ;-)

Perhaps it is the brand of CFL I am buying. All of my CFLs have been GE brand to date. The main reason for GE brand is because the hardware store sells them several times a year with a subsidy from the electric utility. The 26 watt version used to $1 with subsidy, but now they cost $2 with subsidy. (Regular price is a ridiculous $8 for one bulb!) I figured a name brand like GE would be better than one of the no-name brands.

I stay as far away from GE anything, and their bulbs are no different. My wife purchased some in bulk one year (when I wasn't around to consult), and each of them quickly died a fast death. There's a reason you can get them so cheap.

Try Philips... you won't be disappointed.

[Matt Meiser]

I'm trying to figure out what a non-fluorescent CFL is... ;-)

You read that backwards.

What I have is a fixture that has a ballast and uses a special fluorescent tube. I thought CFLs by definition had a built in ballast, but maybe that's not the case.

[Harry Hagan]

I routinely replaced bulbs (every few months) in outdoor lamp posts until substituting CFLs for incandescents. The CFLs have been coming on everyday from dusk till dawn for several years without a failure. CFLS have saved us money on electricity and bulbs.

I share Dan’s low opinion of GE bulbs. We tried a bulk pack of GE CFLs and half of them failed within hours or didn’t even work—none of them lasted more than a few months.

[ray hampton]

If the CFL bulbs are installed upside down in a globe, can someone measured the temperature of the bulb and its socket ? most of the lights assembled hang down when they are installed on the ceiling unless the ceiling are about 10 feet high

[Brian Elfert]

The weird thing is the GE CFL bulbs that are not in the one fixture last for years. I've only replaced one GE CFL that wasn't in this one fixture.

I'll get some Philips CFL bulbs at Home Depot, but not today. We are seeing our first real snow of the year with 10 to 15 inches expected. I expect the commute tomorrow will be terrible as it is supposed to get really cold overnight.

[ray hampton]

The weird thing is the GE CFL bulbs that are not in the one fixture last for years. I've only replaced one GE CFL that wasn't in this one fixture.

I'll get some Philips CFL bulbs at Home Depot, but not today. We are seeing our first real snow of the year with 10 to 15 inches expected. I expect the commute tomorrow will be terrible as it is supposed to get really cold overnight.

I had a similar problem with a ceiling fixture and the incandescent bulbs, I think that the fixture were being shaken by the furnace or fridge

[Jason Roehl]

I had a similar problem with a ceiling fixture and the incandescent bulbs, I think that the fixture were being shaken by the furnace or fridge

You can get "rough service" incandescent light bulbs for such fixtures. A friend of mine had to do that in the pre-CFL era because the first floor ceiling/second floor had a little too much bounce to it, so light bulbs in the first floor ceiling just wouldn't last due to the vibrations from the kids running around upstairs (he probably had 5-6 kids then, up to a football side now).

[Rick Potter]

Larry,

I also was surprised how fast they added up. 5 ceiling fans with 5 ea, two chandeliers with 8 ea, and I am up to 41 before I even start with porch lites, lamps, can lights etc. I think the 80 is a conservative estimate, and that is just CFL's, not counting regular flourescent fixtures in the shop, garage, etc.

Rick Potter

[Curt Harms]

We have 2 3-globe ceiling fixtures that have had CFLs in them since CFLs readily available. We haven't replaced one yet but they weren't $2 each either, probably more like $6-8$ each. We also have 2 in outdoor fixtures. They come on no problem when cold but are noticeably dim until they've been on for a few minutes.

[Frank Drew]

I've had no problems with the CFLs in my house and the minuscule efficiency rating of incandescents makes me glad to have moved away from those bulbs (90% of the energy used is lost as heat is what I recently read; is that true?)

[Dan Hintz]

(90% of the energy used is lost as heat is what I recently read; is that true?)

Correct... you're heating a filament with high current, it's just a nice side-effect that you heat it hot enough to give off some visible light.

[Steve Griffin]

I've had no problems with the CFLs in my house and the minuscule efficiency rating of incandescents makes me glad to have moved away from those bulbs (90% of the energy used is lost as heat is what I recently read; is that true?)

Yes, and that's why I like incandescents for some situations, like our little apartment. Right now it's 19 degrees outside and not a single watt of heat my bulbs are creating is "wasted". If I turned off every light in the house, the electric heating system would have to work exactly that much harder.

In our new addition we have geothermal heat, so light bulb efficiency is more important. I started putting in CFL's and I hate everything about them-- the buzz, the delay, the lack of light, the lack of dimming, the cost and the environmental issues with disposal.

The new LED's are what I'm excited about. These work great and the price is coming down fast. The fixtures we still need will definitely be LED and I may try to retrofit some of the CFL junk already put in to accept LED's.

It's going to fun telling stories to my grandkids about the good old days back when people were actually allowed to make their own light bulb decisions....

[Brian Elfert]

Yes, and that's why I like incandescents for some situations, like our little apartment. Right now it's 19 degrees outside and not a single watt of heat my bulbs are creating is "wasted". If I turned off every light in the house, the electric heating system would have to work exactly that much harder.

I have natural gas heat and it costs 1/2 to 1/3 as much as electric heat. Regular light bulbs add heat, but at a higher cost than running my furnace.

It's going to fun telling stories to my grandkids about the good old days back when people were actually allowed to make their own light bulb decisions....

You still get to make your own light bulb decisions. You can choose from CFL, Halogen replacements, and LED. Government has only mandated how much energy light bulbs can use. They have not mandated any particular technology. Somebody could bring to market an entirely new lighting technology tomorrow if they wanted to as long as it meets the energy standard.

[Larry Whitlow]

Rick, when I saw how many I actually have it brought home the potential energy savings.

[Joe Mioux]

My experience with CFL's (the curly lamp type) has been a failure. They never last the advertised time. However, yesterday I learned something about my experience with these bulbs. The type I purchased are not recommended for recessed can lighting. I use these at my store. Yesterday, while purchasing a new battery at a specialty battery store, I noticed that they also sold light bulbs. The sales rep told me that the bulbs I purchased will not last in those cans.

He sold me a reflector cfl that would work better in a recessed ceiling can. The light i purchased does not put out the correct light, but at least I don't think I will be burning up the housing as I do with the previous cfl's. The previous cfl's housing burns up and is definitely a fire hazard, imo.....

I need better illumination on my sales floors and I think now that I know about the reflector style I will bump up the wattage to get the proper foot candles...

or i will likely switch over to LED's....

joe