| Compact Fluorescent Light BulbsIt's been nine months since I replaced most of the conventional light bulbs here at ranchero indebto with compact fluorescent light bulbs. I'm quite happy with the results. I'm not just saving on the electric bill. I'm not wasting time replacing burned out bulbs, either. Compact fluorescent light bulbs don't just save energy ... they last a long long time. I've learned some important things about compact fluorescent light bulbs along the way ... The standard bulb in our house had been a 60 watt incandescent. It seemed like we were buying a pack or two each month at the supermarket. And it seemed like there was always a bulb to change somewhere. According to the EPA and the DOE, ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs use 66% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 32-watt compact fluorescent light can save you at least $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. I was keen to slash our electricity costs for lighting by two thirds. And I was fed up with replacing bulbs every other week. After all this time at rancho indebto, the bulb-changing routine had gotten pretty old. The recessed ceiling fixtures were always the worst:
After the switchover to 13 watt compact fluorescent bulbs, those mundane chores are a memory. Swapping the bulbs out was dead simple. But there were some things I didn't count on ... Compact fluorescent light bulbs produce a light that is cooler in nature. While incandescents produce a warmer yellowish light, compact fluorescent bulbs tend to produce light in the blue end of the spectrum. This is most noticeable when you have both types of bulb in one room. Once you've swapped out all your bulbs for compact fluorescent's, you probably won't notice the difference. It can take a minute or two after flicking on the switch for a compact fluorescent light bulb to reach full intensity. A slight buzzing may be noticeable at times when a bunch of compact fluorescents are clustered together in tight quarters. I found this to be true in the main bath, where there are two overhead recessed fixtures above the vanity -- each containing a pair of bulbs. After installing more than two dozen compact fluorescent light bulbs over the last nine months, I've only had to replace two. The first was due to my stupidity. I learned first hand why you shouldn't install a standard compact fluorescent light bulb into a dimmer-equpped fixture. (On the other hand, it was kind of scary fun to witness the crazy buzzing and popping.) If you want to put a compact fluorescent light bulb into a fixture with a dimmer, you need to make sure that you get a special bulb that can handle it. The second replacement was due to non-stop use. We tend to get lazy about leaving on the light over the kitchen sink ... and it ends up burning 24/7. My bad, that one cost me a bulb ... but at least the electricity bill for the light was one third of what it would have been ... |