10 New CFLs to Fit Your Life and Lamps
Energy efficient light bulbs now dim and fit any fixtures
Have an obscure fixture? A vintage sconce, or decorative mount? What about that dimmable lamp? No problem. Enlighten 'hard to fit fixtures' with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). Finally, compact fluorescent light bulbs are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, even colors. Check out TheDailyGreen's guide to new CFLs, and you'll be sure to find the best bulb for your buck.
Standard Shape CFL
Finally, a CFL that will work with all your lamp shades! One of the big barriers to more widespread adoption of the efficient technology has been that people don't know how to integrate the now-iconic swirly shape into their existing fixtures. But fuss no more! CFL power is now available in standard-topped shapes, like this gem from Sylvania.
Compact Fluorescent Decor Light Bulb and Converter
Don't dine in the dark. Now compact fluorescent light bulbs can fit decorative fixtures like pendants, chandeliers and wall sconces. This one from Sylvania comes with a converter, so it will fit both candelabra and medium screw base decorative fixtures. NOTE: This CFL type cannot be used with dimmers. Available at Lowes, Menards, Sears K-Mart, and many other stores.
Outdoor Post CFLs
Compact fluorescents are great for outdoor use too. Try this GE Outdoor Post Compact Fluorescent from Wal-mart for your drive and porch lights. Each bulb uses 14 watts and produces as much light as a conventional 60-watt bulb. This will reduce energy use by more than 76%.
Dimmable CFL
Many complain that dimmable compact fluorescents are hard to find. The reason: dimmable CFLs work differently from their incandescent parents -- so it must be specially designed. Don't get discouraged. Environmental Defense provides a great list of dimmable CFLs here. This dimmable CFL is from Lite Tronics and is available at 1000bulbs.com.
Flicker Flame Tip Compact Fluorescent
Use these elegant and sleek flicker flame tip compact fluorescent bulbs for decorative lighting. Perfect for sconces, chandeliers, table lamps and decorative wall lights, this flicker flame bulb from TCP lasts a whopping 25,000 hours.
Compact Fluorescent Globe Bulb
For vanity strips and swag or pendant fixtures use a compact fluorescent globe bulb. These bulbs feature a waterproof outer shell, making them ideal for bare-bulb locations in bathrooms, kitchens and outdoors. Many major companies including GE, Sylvania and Philips offer a range of CF globes. This one is from Westinghouse Lighting Company.
Anti-Bug Compact Fluorescent Bulb
Why is this bulb yellow? Believe it or not, the yellow coating emits an eye-pleasing hue that, unlike incandescent bulbs, does not attract bugs. This bulb (from Westinghouse Lighting Company) is perfect for outdoor use, especially in porch and patio fixtures.
Flood Light Compact Fluorescent Bulb
Come high water, make sure you have CFL flood lights in your outdoor fixtures. Weatherproof and durable, these light bulbs disperse intense light over a wide area, while providing cost-efficient security. This 23-watt CFL Flood Bulb is available through Home Depot's EcoOptions line.
3-Way Lamp CFL
Have a 3-way lamp? No problem! Outfit it with a 3-way compact fluorescent light bulb -- like this one from Wal-mart. Each CF bulb uses 12/23/29 watts and produces as much light as a conventional 3-Way 50/100/150 watt bulb, reducing energy use by up to 75%.
Standard CFLs in New Sizes
According to Energy Star, if every American home replaced just one incandescent bulb with a standard CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. The good news is CFLs now come in various sizes, including Sylvania's Mini-Twists (pictured), the smallest CFLs available. They screw into regular bases, but can fit small sconces, lamps and spaces.
Recycle Your CFLs
Given the tiny amount of mercury in CFLs, it's important to recycle all CF bulbs properly. Recycling is easy with Sylvania's RECYCLEPAK program. Order the consumer pak on Sylvania's website ($15, including shipping), fill up with about 12 burned out bulbs, attach the prepaid shipping label, and your retired CFLs will be responsibly recycled. Larger sizes and community packs also available.
I've also heard that it's important to let CFLs on dimmers warm up on full power and then dim them down. This seems to defeat the purpose of the dimmers I suppose. But just remember the energy savings you'll be getting.
Hopefully you're reaping significant savings from all of your CFLs. We're helping to launch school fundraisers to help families save on their electric bills while saving energy (and reducing pollution) and contributing to their school causes. Check out www.myschoollights.com/guide.h for more information on shopping for CFLs and www.myschoollights.com/faq.htm for answers to specific questions.
JFread
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I purchased three different brands of dimmable 75W equivalent CFLs from EFI.org and none were satisfactory. The brands were MaxLite, GreenLite, and TCP. They had problems ranging from slow starting (5 minutes to achieve 90% brightness), Low light intensity (33% less than advertised), dimmable to only 50% of full brightness, and highly non-linear dimming.
I don’t know why they still have a slow starting problem. I have 60 W equivalents CFL (non dimmable) from Home Depot that reach 90% of full brightness in 30 seconds.