Compact Fluorescent bulbs - do you use them?

[electron_blue]

I have bought several over the years and been sorely disappointed. They do not last even one year, often times going out in just a month or two of use. And this is not continuously, but in a living room lamp, or the basement - on for a relatively short period of time. My regular bulbs last much longer than the c.f. bulbs.

I'm really gun shy about trying them again, but I hear so much praise for them and I wish they worked for me.

So here's a poll of sorts - if you use compact fluorescents and are happy with them, please tell me how often you have to replace them, and what are supposed to be the better brand names out there.

[politicat]

1. We use them, get them at Costco.

Seriously, if you're having problems with them, hang on to the packaging and call the 800 number on the back. I had some problems with a sylvania set - they blew shortly after purchase - and I got, not only my money back (in the form of a coupon for replacement) but a stack of 5 coupons for $2 off a single, or $4 off a multi pack of CFs.

That was three years ago, when I was using them in the house that had ceiling lights. Now the house we live in doesn't have ceiling lights, so we have lots of lamps, and I use them in the lamps. Costco sells them in 6 packs of 100 watt equivalent and 8 packs of 60 watt equivalent, and that's what we've been using. They've been in the fixtures for about 3 months now, and so far, no problems other than the 1 second lag before they come on in some of the fixtures.

[sbj405]

21. I bought some at Costco and had the same exp. as the the OP

Of course, I didn't save my receipt to take them up on the warranty.

[NMDemDist2]

2. nope, I have mostly halogen (are they efficient?) and regular fluorescents

and the few lamps that don't are the cute little candle looking thingies

[politicat]

17. Halogens are not efficient.

They produce good light, but for the same amount of energy you're using with a typical 300 watt halogen, you could be running 25 CF bulbs, for a total of 25,000 lumens. Most torchieres put out about 2500 lumens. It's also aimed at the ceiling in a torchiere, so it's mostly wasted light.

Here's a good article on torchieres: http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/halo.htm

I'm a big fan of found lighting - a couple weeks ago, I found a hanging fixture at the thrift that works beautifully with a CF bulb as a table lamp. I gave it to a friend for her birthday. I'll get a picture this weekend and post it.

[LiberalEsto]

3. Love them

I used to buy one or two with every paycheck until I replaced every bulb in our house. Very few have burned out. The best are the ones from Costco.

[Delphinus]

4. In every room of my house!

I love them - I get the kind that simulate daylight, so they're a bit more expensive, but boy do they make a difference.

We don't have a Costco in our town, so I buy them where I can. Don't know about the electricity savings - only put them in this past September.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

5. I just bought a 6 pack at Home Depot (no Costco's (I wish there

was and wrote them to open a store here)!

From what I understand they (fluorescent bulbs) produce the equivalent to 60 watts, but use 14 watts of energy, am I right? I told my mom yesterday after I bought them and she went out to buy them. She read about them today in her AARP newsletter/magazine as a good deal.

Anyways, Home Depot has a 6-pack 60 watt equivalent for $9.97 and the pkg. says 7 years guaranteed. I have to say that one didn't work, but if I don't have to change an overhead bulb for 7 yrs., that alone is worth it!

On edit: They look a little weird, because we are so used to the traditional light bulb design, but I swear they are brighter!

[politicat]

10. Call the company about the one that didn't work.

They really do want to know these things because they want you to tell your friends that they made good, not that 1 in 7 bulbs is dead.

Which brand?

[LeftyMom]

6. I have them in every lamp where they'll fit

The nice thing is that our electric utility here provides soem kind of a deal on tehm, so they're only $1 each at most stores. :)

[DinahMoeHum]

7. I remember the clunkers that first came out. . .now they're gone.

The new ones in hardware stores weigh about the same as regular bulbs. And I haven't had to change them in YEARS.

The ones from PHILIPS are real good.

[freestyle]

8. I use them everywhere except one fixture with a dimmer.

I have a few bulbs that are over five years old. However, some don't work well in enclosed fixtures. Most don't work well with dimmers, and the ones that do are really expensive. You also need to get ones made for three-way lights if that is where you are using it. You mentioned a basement and moisture could be an issue, although I have not had any problems. For whatever reason, some may not work well with really old fixtures or wiring. Compact fluorescents can't handle the voltage variabilities that incandescents can. The spiral style seems more sensitive than the small u shaped tubes.

If they aren't working for you, there may be other, fairly minor, electrical issues. They should last at least three years. There is cheap crap out there, as with lots of things now. Buy them on sale so if there is a dud in the six pack it's not a big deal. Good luck. Every little bit counts.

[calico1]

9. I bought some last month as part of my effort

to save on energy this winter. I have been switching as bulbs go out. I did have one die in the kitchen fixture but so far the rest are still working. I hope they are as good as they are supposed to be!

[HippieCowgirl]

11. Love my CF lightbulbs.

Two years ago, I started replacing all of my incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs. The only fixtures that don't have CF bulbs in them right now are my 2 ceiling fans. In two years, I haven't had a single CF bulb burn out. I do have one that sometimes presents an annoying flicker, but it was one of the first ones I put in, and the newer bulbs don't flicker at all.

[ancient_nomad]

12. Here is a helpful site......

Really appreciate this forum. We are going to start replacing our bulbs this weekend. A while back, someone on DU posted this site. It is so informative, I wanted to share it.

http://tinyurl.com/8yuou

[benny05]

13. Greetings, seeking clarification

What size defines compact for the bulbs you are asking about?

Thanks, Benny

[politicat]

18. Sorry to be so slow---

A CF bulb is one that can work in a standard edison socket, rather than one of the long tube sockets.

Make sense?

[MADem]

14. Yes, and LOVE THEM!

We have a family that is challenged in the turn off the damn lights department, and they have cut the bill significantly!

[progressoid]

15. We have some problems with them in our older recessed light

fixtures. But they last longer than regular bulbs which overheat and burn out all the time.

[sendero]

16. I use them..

... extensively and have had mostly very good luck with them. I can remember one that seemed to die young, and I have about 20 of them in use.

We keep a light on above the kitchen sink 24/7. That bulb burned out after about 3 years of continuous use.

CF lighting is the best thing going (except for LEDs, which are still very expensive but will eventually be cheap :)), everyone should be using it!

[Skidmore]

19. We use them all over the house and never have had

a problem with them. Bought ours at Costco and Lowes.

[Javaman]

20. Here is a dimmable version for anyone interested...

http://www.residential-landscape-lighting-design.com/store/PPF/parameters/2538_639/more_info.asp

[muttcats]

22. Have never replaced them

We use them in all but two fixtures that have dimmer switches, even the outdoor lights. I have never had to replace any of them. I can't recall exactly when we switched but I think it was about two years ago.

I don't remember what brand mine are but they came in a large package at Lowe's. Took two packages to do the whole house and that's at two bulbs per fixture. They were about ten bucks a package.

[Lisa0825]

23. I have a question about them...

I recall reading a few years back that because (regular) flourescent lights took more energy to turn ON, but used much less energy once they were on, you shouldn't turn them on and off much, so if you'd be entering and leaving the same room throughout the day, you should just leave it on. I was wondering if that is the case with the compact flouresence bulbs too. I did notice that when I turn it on, it comes on dimly at first, and then gets brighter over a period of 30 seconds or so, so I thought maybe it does take more energy to get going.

[Lorax]

24. We use them

We use them in almost all of our lamps. They are OK. They don't seem as bright as the bulbs I had in but I probably just need to get a different wattage or something. Obviously it doesn't bother me that much because I haven't looked into doing anything about it. The only place they really annoy me is the lamp by the chair I do most of my reading in. The bulbs make a noise that makes me crazy but my husband says he can't hear it.