I bought some NEW Efficient Light bulbs. Not Spiral kind. They are in My Living Room ceiling(3) I like the idea of using them to save electricity, but They light up slloooooowly. By the time I am get whatever I need in the Evening/Night They are just getting full strength/bright. To Me that's a WASTE having to walk in the near dark and it is spooky!

Are Spiral kind the only way to go??

MN Mom,

You do have other choices. I'm not sure what type you have now, but here are the basic choices:

incandescent- not eco-friendly, use the most wattage

halogen- slightly more energy efficient because you can use a lower wattage for the same brightness (only slightly)

compact florescent (spiral type)- these are a smart buy. You can use three 10 watt bulbs and have the same brightness as 120 watts incandescent. They are cheap compared to the next choice.

LED- by far the most energy efficient bulbs you can get. An 8 watt bulb is the equivalent of 50 watts incandescent. LEDs are the most expensive, but they will last practically forever. I've seen them from $30-55 each.

We've just started remodeling our home, and we've decided to go eco-friendly. We just bought a new light fixture for our son's bedroom. It's a fixture that uses three par20 bulbs. We've decided to use florescent because it's a good trade-off between price and energy costs (11 watts compared to an 8 watt LED for 5 times the price).

I highly recommend compact florescent, but it's not your only choice.

quote:

Originally posted by RandyABrown:
MN Mom,

halogen- slightly more energy efficient because you can use a lower wattage for the same brightness (only slightly)

Thank you for the interesting comment on brightness...
Though this is not directly relevant, I have long thought lumens' ratings did not take into account the color spectrum/light brilliance relationship in comparing equal wattage bulbs of different kinds of light i.e. tungsten vs. cfls, mercury or sodium light. Perception on this is 9/10's of the law though green science is wonderful.
Your honor, I differ with the dim wits.
I read nightly with a cfl lamp and keep wanting a whiter light, a brighter light for the wattage.
Tungsten's new durable bulb of the same wattage suits better.
OK, Give me a D- in green science...but treadeth lightly, I have a pile of carbon credits for driving a small car sixty years.

i HATE the compact CFLs...the light they put out is awful - especially in my yellow and green rooms....It's not too hateful in my office that is purple.....

Living by myself, my electric bill isn't that high - i'm going to use what i want....BTW - i do have the CFLs in my outdoor fixtures and the one bulb on the front porch lasted 3 yrs...

Mn Mom, Here's a link that should help you find what it is you are looking for in bulbs.
Cfl's have some that are called "instant on", and many other choices.
If in a store, just make sure to read the package carefully to make sure you get the kind you need.
Hope this helps. Good Luck.

1000 Bulbs

Thank you, Velvet

Definitely NOT a fan of CFLs. I did a segment for ABC a year ago showing some of the lesser known issues with CFLs.

Aside from having a higher concentration of mercury vapor than standard fluroescents, they cannot be dimmed or even operate safely on a dimmer equipped light control. They will flicker and on some designs of dimmers, once they turn on (at full intensity on the dimmer) they will not turn off. There are conflicts between the circuits in the dimmers and the ignition circuits in the base of the bulbs.

There are some very expensive dimmable CFLs but those are not the 3.00 variety found at Home Depot et al.

In addition the manufacturers STRONGLY suggest that CFLs are not mounted in any oposition except base down. That means no inverted bulbs in ceiling fixtures.

One detail that is never heard in the discussions of "green technology" Even though a given product such as CFLs may consume less electricity in operation, the energy and natural resources used to PRODUCE the product are more damaging than the counterparts in many cases. The circuit boards and chemicals used in producing CFLs use incredible amounts of water, acids used to create printed circuitboards inside the bulbs will eat concrete.

The mercury vapor in the lamp tubing requires a HAZMAT team (here in CA) to dispose of a fractured bulb. Other states may not be as extreme.

The color temperature is not anywhere near that of incandescent bulbs.

Halogen lamps put out a great deal of liht at low voltages but they also produce substantial heat and ultra violet radiation. That is why the special glass covering is over the bulbs.

So there are several considerations to be aware of before blindly claining something is "green"

new to this message board....i just wondered if anyone had concerns on disposal of flouresent bulbs...since they contain mercury which is toxic...some states have regulationsand others don't...

Welcome to the board.
I personally do not have any concerns regarding the disposal of cfl's.
So far I have had great success with them.
If and when I do need to dispose of one, I will double check www.earth911.org and find where the closest place is to recycle the cfl.

Another great place for answers is: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change...ct_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

Hopefully these sites will shine some light on the subject for you. (sorry, I couldn't resist)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: velvet350,

I will be stockpiling incandescent and halogen bulbs in many sizes, bases and wattages.

You can order them from me if the manufacturers cease to make them.

I won't charge too much -hehehehe

quote:

Originally posted by MN_MOM:
I bought some NEW Efficient Light bulbs. Not Spiral kind. They are in My Living Room ceiling(3) I like the idea of using them to save electricity, but They light up slloooooowly. By the time I am get whatever I need in the Evening/Night They are just getting full strength/bright. To Me that's a WASTE having to walk in the near dark and it is spooky!

Are Spiral kind the only way to go??

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS!!