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[Duck69]

I have CFL's throughout except for the floodlights.
The thing about CFL's is the Color Spectrum:

Warm White - 2700K
Cool White - 4100K
Full Spectrum - 5000K

We are used to buying bulbs acording to wattage, however, when choosing CFL's y choose by the Color Spectrum (signified by K or Kelvin (heat) ).

If you're stuck on wattage then it works out that a 15 watt fluorescent bulb gives off as much light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb. A 20 watt fluorescent bulb gives off as much light as a 75 watt incandescent bulb and a 30 watt fluorescent bulb gives off as much light as a 100 watt incandescent bulb.

Hope this helps.

[nklght]

I still believe that CFL's are not an answer for household lighting, I have no problem using a CFL for generic lighting purposes, but I have incadescent bulbs set up to cover the lack luster lighting provided by CFL's.  My dad belives that flourescent is the key for everything, and has installed standard flourescent fixtures and CFL's thourghout the house, the problem is you can't figure out if your eating processing it the other end because it is so dim in his house.

[Dan Lawrence]

There's another problem with CFLs, and it will be hitting the news eventually: MERCURY!!!!!!

Like all florescent lamps, mercury (a small amout) is used  to excite the chemicals that product the light. Because of that they cannot be placed in the trash, but put out separately.  Most of the public doesn't know that. They will toss a burned out CFL in the trash, just like the current incandescent lamps they've been using for years.  As more and more CFLs are used, the disposal problem will sneak up on municipal and private trash collectors.  Due to the mercury, they can't just be tossed in the furnace at the processing station.

[MeThinks]

HMMMM......

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm lucky.... I'm not sure, but...

I have several CF lights controlled by a WS467 wall switch.  The light output by the CFs is greater than the incandescents they replaced, and I haven't had any issues with disruption in X10 signals or the flickering problem that I have read about in this forum. 
Until now...cause I probably just jinxed myself!!
However comma, I did notice that when I tried to use a WS467 with a ceiling fan that there was a very loud hummmm from the fan.  I'll try some of the things I read about in the forum to see if I can alleviate this problem.

We'll see....

 

[Dan Lawrence]

I have a ceiling fan controlled by a WS13 switch and it produces a hummmm until the fan has fully speeded up.  I suspect it's something in the powerline signals as the WS13 is designed for fans. It's a Decora switch and gets to live in a switch box.

[JeffVolp]

There's another problem with CFLs, and it will be hitting the news eventually: MERCURY!!!!!!

The mercury issue has been batted around a lot lately.  There seems to be a tradeoff between the mercury used in CFLs versus the mercury released into the atmosphere as a byproduct of electric generation.  The argument goes that since the CFLs use less electricity, the net amount of mercury released into the environment will be reduced.

While mercury is certainly something to consider, it would seem that anything that reduces total energy consumption is a good thing.

Jeff

[JimC]

Like all florescent lamps, mercury (a small amount) is used  to excite the chemicals that product the light. Because of that they cannot be placed in the trash, but put out separately

Dan this is not necessarily true. It all depends on where you live and how the trash is handled. In my state, for example, residents can place Florescent lamps out with the regular trash. Industry on the other hand must either recycle florescent bulbs or dispose of them as a hazardous waste. The amount of mercury in a CFL is no more than what is in a standard florescent light bulb. The larger concern for most people using CFL's or any mercury containing lamp is how to properly handle a bulb that gets broken within the house. Mercury is a toxic metal that is considered to be Bio accumulative (stays in the body). A good source of information on proper clean up of broken mercury containing bulbs can be found on most state environmental web sites. DO NOT USE A SHOP VAC.

As CFL's become more popular recycling centers will start to croup up. I believe that Home Depot in some areas already takes the bulbs back.

[roger1818]

I believe that CFLs are only an interim solution.  Eventually we will be using LED bulbs throughout the house.  Not only do they use much less electricity than even CFLs (they are over 90% efficient), they last much longer (about 100,000 hours) and work well with dimmers.  While they have become very common with Christmas lights, flash lights and automotive lamps, from what I have heard, they are about 5 years away from widespread use in light fixtures as there are some hurdles to overcome which include:

• Price,
• Colour balance,
• Directionality (they are very directional), and
• Brightness (so far they only have them up to about a 25 watt equivalent)

[JeffVolp]

I believe that CFLs are only an interim solution.  Eventually we will be using LED bulbs throughout the house.  Not only do they use much less electricity than even CFLs (they are over 90% efficient), they last much longer (about 100,000 hours)

I thought that too, and tried to find a LED "incandescent replacement" for one location in our house.  After some research, I was surprised to discover currently available LEDs are only about half as efficient "lumen for lumen" as fluorescent lights.  And only the best LEDs approach the efficiency of compact fluorescent lights.  Also, while a LED can last a very long time when run at low power, the life expectancy will degrade when pushed hard without adequate thermal control, as may be the case for a production consumer device.

Jeff

[HA Dave]

.... Eventually we will be using LED bulbs ........ they are about 5 years away from widespread use

Your likely right about the five years.

I have three LED bulbs... though only two are in service right now. Mine cost about six dollars each, use 1.3 watts, emit about the same light as a 25 watt regular bulb (or 7 watt CFL). The light isn't pure white, it has a greenish-blue tint. The light is directional... sorta like a spotlight. Mine has a estimated life span of 40,000 hours.

There are much brighter, much whiter, much more omni-directional bulbs available NOW. The cost is high, but only because demand isn't high enough to create a competitive market for these bulbs. You can buy the LEDs on-line, I haven't seen anything but "LED night lights" in stores yet.

I use one of my LED bulbs in my garage. The garage has a overhead (single) light-bulb that is turned on and off with a hardwired motion sensor. The LED lights the room enough that I am never in the dark, if I stay out-of-range of the sensor too long, and the overhead light turns off. The LED bulb also provides just enough light for my garage camera (an X10 wired low-light) and "backs-up" the single bulb when it burns out.

[nklght]

I am a fan of CFL's but did not consider the fact that they contain mercury.  I know we can purchase standard flourescent bulbs without mercury, they usually have the green caps on the end.  I still believe that I get better light from a standard bulb, over cfl's.  Technology will eventually work its way, and provide people with energy effecient bulbs.

[birdzeye]

I purchased three LED light bulbs the other day. The bulbs have 18 LEDs in-cased in a plastic bulb-like defuser, but even with the defuser the light is very directional. They consume 1.3 watts each and (though no spec was included) I would guess one puts-out about as much light as a 15 watt incandescent bulb. The light is not white... even by CFL standards... seems to have a tint of green.

They work fine with my X10! They even dim smoothly (I didn't expect that).

For now, I am looking for brighter LED bulbs.... that only cost an arm... or a leg... instead of both. But, with a 100,000 hour life span any LED I buy could last me "forever".  Another advanage, Led is much easier to spell than either incandescent or fluorescent.

Would LED bulbs work in a socket rocket?

[Dan Lawrence]

I purchased three LED light bulbs the other day. The bulbs have 18 LEDs in-cased in a plastic bulb-like defuser, but even with the defuser the light is very directional. They consume 1.3 watts each and (though no spec was included) I would guess one puts-out about as much light as a 15 watt incandescent bulb. The light is not white... even by CFL standards... seems to have a tint of green.

They work fine with my X10! They even dim smoothly (I didn't expect that).

For now, I am looking for brighter LED bulbs.... that only cost an arm... or a leg... instead of both. But, with a 100,000 hour life span any LED I buy could last me "forever".  Another advanage, Led is much easier to spell than either incandescent or fluorescent.

Would LED bulbs work in a socket rocket?

Yes!!!!  I have CFL's in all my Socket Rockets, since they do not have a dimming capability.

[birdzeye]

Would LED bulbs work in a socket rocket?

Yes!!!!  I have CFL's in all my Socket Rockets, since they do not have a dimming capability.

Dan, just to clarify, I said LED not CFL. Unless you mean both LED and CFL work in socket rockets?

[HA Dave]

..
 just to clarify, I said LED not CFL. Unless you mean both LED and CFL work in socket rockets?

Yes they do! I continue to add more and more of the LED's....  I also use standard adapters to convert SocketRockets into plug-in (light-duty) modules.