By now, you've probably had somebody tell you that you should use compact fluorescent bulbs in your home to save energy. Personally, I use them in virtually every room of my house. I also have a friend who wants to take all of his compact fluorescent bulbs with him when he sells his house (they are an investment).These tips should be helpful when you're ready to take the plunge:
- Use CF bulbs where incandescents limit you. Many (maybe all) lighting fixtures have limits on how many watts they can support, and that can limit how much light you can get from the fixture. For example, we have track lighting in our kitchen, and the track could handle up to 3 60-watt bulbs. I wanted more light than that, so I switched to CF bulbs, and now I have 5 or 6 13-watt bulbs in the same track. I'm still well below the watt rating for the fixture, and I have much better light output (measured in lumens) than my incandescents provided. So if the potential energy savings hasn't motivated you to change, maybe the promise of more light in your room will.
- Be cautious when buying "daylight" bulbs. This flavor of CF bulb attempts to simulate natural sunlight. Although I'm happy with an incandescent "daylight" bulb that I purchased, our Feit Electric CF daylight bulbs were so bad, I had to take them out after 1 or 2 days. The odd color produced an eerie look to our living room, and both my wife and I hated them.
- Not all CF bulbs are equal. I'm no expert on the topic, but certain brands and models have better "color temperature" than others. Some are rather dim and yellow. I've purchased a few brands including Feit Electric, GE, Powerwise, etc. I've found that the Powerwise brand produced the whitest light. Not everybody likes white light (some prefer "warmer" lights), but if you do, look for the elusive Powerwise brand. Our local Farm & Fleet store used to carry that brand, but it no longer does.
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