Are the new light bulbs really better?

You are talking about fluorescent lights, right?

First of all, the minuscule amount of mercury is practically negligible; besides, how many times have you ever broken a bulb (while you were an adult that is)? I find the only times that bulbs really break is when you're changing them, which brings me to my second point: you don't have to change them as often. In fact, CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs last as much as ten-times longer than old incandescent bulbs; so you won't be changing these new bulbs nearly as much as you would with old ones. And last but not least, these new CFLs will save electricity (and therefore, money). A 13-Watt CFL is equivalent to a 60-Watt incandescent bulb, which means that they use less than one sixth the energy (which also means they cost one sixth the amount of the old ones).

As far as brightness is concerned, they are substantially brighter. They are so bright and white that companies coat the glass tubes with a film to lower the brightness and mimic different lighting conditions (such as plain white, sunlight, candlelight, and the old style lighting). And what are you talking about with them not working in the cold? I have five in my garage and they work just fine in the dead of winter, though I think they take an extra second to illuminate.

If you are not going to be persuaded by the environmental reasons for switching, at least think of the financial ones.

On a last note, when it does come time to dispose of these revolutionary bulbs, dispose of them properly. I think I just heard that Home Depot will now be a place for deposition of burnt out CFLs (for free of course) as a service to not only their customers, but the earth too.

Certain fluorescent light bulbs are not as bright as there counterparts, however it depends which ones you get. They also save a lot in electric. They do work on dimmers, but you have to get the "dimmable" kind. They also have 3 way bulbs. They also last a lot longer than regular candescent light bulbs. To be honest, I live in FL so I dont know anything about them not working in different kinds of weather. We've had no complaints down here. FPL is known for having power outages and the candescent bulbs blowing but the flourescents seem to do fine! One regular candescent light bulb = 12 - 14 watt fluorescent. Which means they produce the same amount of lumens (or the same amount of light over a certain space). Most people go for the day light or bright white, the day light has a bit of a blue hue but gives off a lot of light. The soft light gives a yellow hue and is supposed to be exactly like a candescent light bulb (though I feel its less bright). Lastly is the bath and kitchen bulbs...which are used mostly in the bath and kitchen (but mostly just by older people) because they give off a pinkish softer light which is supposed to make the things look better. Im sorry you have had bad experiences, but maybe whomever helped you out had no idea what they were talking about. All flou. have to work off a ballast, perhaps the ballast was bad? Like I sad no complaints down here. Hope you give it a try again. Itll save you tons...changing out one lightbulb is supposed to save you around $150 a year (dont ask me how true that is), but I do have lots of customers telling me how much they save and how appreciative they are. BTW, to save more you can change your dimmers to a flour. dimmer...its really easy to install and kind of neat. Good Luck

OK, so they say you should have a hazmat team (ive never heard that) but I am HAZMAT certified. And, I will tell you the cleanup consists of this - you call it in, they tell you to wear gloves, goggles, and mask, then you sweep it up in a bag, tie a knot at the top, and put it in the red bin. Nothing anyone at home cant do. Honestly I dont think I ever wore goggles. Then, you just take it to the site...or like someone said Home Depot will take them (there is a bin up at the service desk). I think they are making it out to be a bigger deal then it really is.BTW they are more durable than a regular bulb. Plus cleaning up a 2/4/6/8 or 10 foot flour. is A LOT harder and dangerous than a CFL and people have had those in their homes for decades.

The more expensive they are, the better and brighter the bulb will be. I don't mind spending $15.00 per bulb when they have a 5 to 10 year guarantee on the package.

Personally I can't stand them. Most people don't notice it, but they give off a terrible blue glow. Or they glow orange.

You can dim them, just not by much.

If you live in Canada, you don't have a choice. They've outlawed the old style of bulb. You can still get the vanity bulb, but that's it.

And I use them (despite the fact I can't stand them) because 12 watts per bulb is > 60 or 120 watts per bulb. Would you rather pay for 300 watts an hour or 3000 watts an hour? I wouldn't want to install a second backup generator just to cover my lights. (That's extreme, but it gets the point across.)

I have put CFL's and LED lights all over the place to reduce my electricity bill, while reducing the electricity bill helps reducing my carbon footprint. Now, I live in the Netherlands with an electricity rate at an astounding 23 eurocents per kWh (of which 70% is tax!) (don't convert to US dollars, you won't believe it).

One 20W CFL (5 euros) replaces a 100W incandescent light bulb (1 euro), and its lifetime is 5 x (5,000 hrs vs. 1,000 hrs).

After 5,000 burning hours, the CFL has cost me 1 lamp plus 5,000 x 0,020 kWh = 100 kWh. Total cost: 5+23 = 28 euros.

After 5,00 burning hours, the incandescents have cost me 5 lamps plus 5000 x 0,100 kWh = 500 kWh. Total cost 5+115 = 120 euros.

You don't have to be Dutch to find out that CFLs are cheaper in the long run. It is a matter of electricity rates. And oh boy, these are rising fast. By the way, the difference in kWh's (500-100=400 kWh) is 360 kilograms of carbon dioxide less released into the atmosphere by a coal-burning electricity generator.

well they are really good if used properly and stored properly after they get fused or stop working.They really help us in energy saving they have good illumination.they are a gr8 stuff to save on huge electricity bills.They come with a good warranty period so if it does not work well in cold u can claim the warranty from the company so u get a new one.

Please look here:

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#fluore...

And read this:

"What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks"

Then quit making the false claim that a HAZMAT team is needed to clean up a broken bulb.

I switched all my light with the energy efficient ones, but they would always irritate my eyes, from lack of brightness.

If you don't like flourescent lighting then buy LED lighting, it is 10X more efficient.

save electricity? Like maybe a fraction of it

beats a candle ..saves energy..