THE first compact fluorescent tested, an n:vision Soft White manufactured by TCP for Home Depot, evoked a collective groan. Although some liked its brightness and whiteness and the way its outer shell hid the coil and made it look more like a traditional incandescent bulb, others dismissed it as harsh, comparing it to hospital lighting.
Sylvania’s Bright White Designers Choice was even less popular. Panelists decried the color as sickly and gluelike As other compact fluorescents were tried, the complaints grew louder. G.E.’s Energy Smart Daylight 15-watt bulb looked “icky frigid blue.” Sylvania’s Micro-Mini evoked a rainy day. One tester said the MiniBulb from MaxLite “makes me queasy.”
The judges were fascinated by the way the complexion of the editor who was changing the bulbs shifted, from tan and fit to rosy to pallid to alabaster. After seeing his face under Greenlite’s 13-watt Mini, a writer barked, “Dermabrasion, right away!”
The slight buzzing emitted by many of the compact fluorescents, including G.E. Energy Smart bulbs, Sylvania’s Designers Choice, and TCP’s Spring Light/Soft White, irritated panelists, as did the time it took for some bulbs to light and the flickering that sometimes ensued once they did.
There were a few particularly interesting products, like the futuristic-looking eBulb from American Lighting Industry (951-328-8184), which uses induction technology, an old form of lighting sometimes used in places that are hard to reach, like tunnel ceilings. The $50 bulb uses 80 percent less power than incandescents, its maker said, and is expected to last 50,000 hours, or five times longer than many compact fluorescents, largely because of its round magnet, which helps it recycle electricity. Panelists described its color as “channeling Jules Verne” and said its light looked “O.K. for a tattoo parlor.”
Some judges were enthusiastic about a dimmable compact fluorescent, the G.E. Energy Smart Dimmable, given that such bulbs have, until recently, been hard to find. But rather than moving smoothly from dark to light, as incandescents and halogens do, it functioned more like a bulb with three settings: high, low and off.
Another object of excitement was the Pharox bulb (upscalelighting.com) from Lemnis Lighting, which uses a light-emitting diode, or L.E.D. This technology, which works by illuminating a semiconductor chip, is more efficient than compact fluorescent lighting. But because L.E.D.’s emit directional rather than diffuse light, they are typically implanted in flat surfaces like walls or light panels.
Lemnis is one of a few companies that have managed to apply the technology to a screw-in bulb, but the panel complained about how green its color looked, particularly against the skin. (A photographer, echoing criticisms from others, thought the bulb cast a glow that gave a person nearby an “embalmed look.”)
Not all the bulbs were met with negativity. Panelists favored the light cast by halogen bulbs (including the Daylight Plus and the BT15 from Sylvania, and G.E.’s Edison 60), which last twice as long as incandescents, requiring less energy for the production and distribution of replacements, and are therefore more efficient.
One halogen model, the Philips Halogena, was not only pleasing to the eye — “nice, soft, golden light” one panelist said — but efficient enough to meet the criteria of the new energy bill. Panelists also admired Sylvania’s eLogic incandescent bulb (describing it as “creamy, “cozy for reading” and “nice, even, warm light”), the lone incandescent to be included because it lasts 50 percent longer, measures 30 percent smaller and uses 5 percent less energy than a standard incandescent.
Although most of the compact fluorescents were deemed unacceptable by the panel, there were several that were found to be not only acceptable but attractive. The n:vision TCP Home Soft White, for example, was deemed “a warm pleasant light.” The TCP Spring Light/Soft White was “almost warmer than incandescent,” one person said. And the MaxLite SpiraMax was generally liked, considered “pretty good” and “clean.”
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cfl.html
How to buy CFL's
When you buy CFL bulbs the package will be labeled to show you how many watts it's equivalent to. For example, a 15-watt CFL bulb package will say something like "60 watt equivalent". They have to say that otherwise people would look at the package and think, "15 watts? That's not nearly enough light!" But it is, because a 15-watt CFL bulb puts out as much light as a standard 60-watt bulb.
Although CFL's generally last for years longer than regular bulbs, the cheap kind can burn out quickly. I therefore recommend buying either name-brand CFL's, or at least ones that come with a 5+ year warranty. If the package says "lasts five years" that's not good enough, you want a 5+ year guarantee.
Make sure to get a color temperature you'll be happy with. The light bulbs you're replacing are probably "warm", around 2800k. Anything above around 3500k will have a bluish tint to it, and the higher the blue, the "colder" (more blue) it gets. If you want similar light to what you probably have now, go for "warm" CFL's, less than 3500k, the lower the better.
If you're in a super-cold environment, note that most CFL's run dim in very cold temperatures, and most won't run at all below 20°F. (Paralite makes some they claim will work down to minus 20°F.) If you're using them outside as floodlights, then make sure you get the kind that are labeled for cold-weather use. One reader notes that he put a $10 bug light sleeve around the light which acted like insulation, and kept the light just warm enough that it would work.
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