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Lets start out by saying I don't want to have any political discussion of the topic, I'm just curious what bulbs have worked well for others and the differences in them.
If anyone wants to understand the reasoning more. There is a wikipedia article that covers the general information here.
So, I've started to upgrade a few can lights in my house with the CFL bulbs as they seem to be left on the most. The first set I bought was a cheaper set from the blue borg and they have a warm tint to them. Difference I've seen with them is that they come on dim and brighten once they warm up. My wife actually likes these in our kitchen as they don't blind you right away first thing in the morning when the switch is flicked. It's probably only 10% dimmer in actuality, but noticable. There are 4 in the room and once warmed the room is brighter to work in, and I'm happy with them.
We've already got fluorescents in our garage and laundry room. Part of the lamps in the basement have been upgraded as well with CFL, but they are the white bright bulbs and I don't care for them, will look for a warmer tint when they need replacing.
Overall, I've probably replaced enough bulbs to compare to a small space heater running 4 - 6 hours a day, so we'll see over the next couple of months how that looks on the electric bill.
Anyway, I noticed several type and costs of the bulbs at the store, I mostly bought the cheapest. I'm sure some of that is branding, but what other features should one look for if they are going to get CFL bulbs?
Also, has anyone gone to LED lighting and if so, what has been your experience? Until recently I hadn't seen any that gave a nice glow, hopefully that is changing. I looked at some for the can lights, I'm sure that would make up pretty quickly with savings and the long life, but couldn't justify spending the $40 per bulb right now.
If anyone wants to understand the reasoning more. There is a wikipedia article that covers the general information here.
So, I've started to upgrade a few can lights in my house with the CFL bulbs as they seem to be left on the most. The first set I bought was a cheaper set from the blue borg and they have a warm tint to them. Difference I've seen with them is that they come on dim and brighten once they warm up. My wife actually likes these in our kitchen as they don't blind you right away first thing in the morning when the switch is flicked. It's probably only 10% dimmer in actuality, but noticable. There are 4 in the room and once warmed the room is brighter to work in, and I'm happy with them.
We've already got fluorescents in our garage and laundry room. Part of the lamps in the basement have been upgraded as well with CFL, but they are the white bright bulbs and I don't care for them, will look for a warmer tint when they need replacing.
Overall, I've probably replaced enough bulbs to compare to a small space heater running 4 - 6 hours a day, so we'll see over the next couple of months how that looks on the electric bill.
Anyway, I noticed several type and costs of the bulbs at the store, I mostly bought the cheapest. I'm sure some of that is branding, but what other features should one look for if they are going to get CFL bulbs?
Also, has anyone gone to LED lighting and if so, what has been your experience? Until recently I hadn't seen any that gave a nice glow, hopefully that is changing. I looked at some for the can lights, I'm sure that would make up pretty quickly with savings and the long life, but couldn't justify spending the $40 per bulb right now.