So in other words, CFLs aren't appropriate for enclosed fixtures -- the only ones I can stand to use them in. Great!

My husband and I had a potentially dangerous experience with CFL bulbs. We inserted CFL bulbs in our bedroom ceiling spotlights and those of our kids. The spotlights have dimmers. We knew the CFL bulbs wouldn't dim. However, they literally burned out a number of our light switches, which had to be completely replaced. The electrician showed us the burn marks on the switch wiring. Apparently they could have caused a house/apartment fire! This is a danger I had not heard of before.

I've had CFLs in enclosed fixtures for years with out any issues.

So---are they really phasing out incandescent bulbs entirely? What are we supposed to do in these cases?

The Nesting Game: No, incandescent bulbs aren't being phased out, necessarily. At least not in the U.S. I can't speak to other countries. Legislation requires that bulbs meet certain standards for energy efficiency; as long as an incandescent bulb meets that standard, it's fine. There are already several incandescent bulbs on the market that meet the standards, though they are pricier than what we are used to buying. Hopefully, as technology and design improve, and consumer demand rises, the prices will come down and they will be more widely available. There are also several types of incandescent bulbs (for example, some "Edison" bulbs) that are exempted from the legislative requirements.

This has been discussed extensively in the AT and Unpluggd posts which evaluate various CFLs and other energy-efficient bulbs. I suggest you do a search for those posts; they contain a lot more information, including links to the relevant legislation and lists of exempted bulbs.

Well,
in Europa they are banning them, it started with 100W bulbs and now has arrived at 60W. What happens are that incandescent bulbs are being sold as heating devices that have been designed to fit light bulb sockets.

Well,
in Europa they are banning them, it started with 100W bulbs and now has arrived at 60W. What happens are that incandescent bulbs are being sold as heating devices that have been designed to fit light bulb sockets.

CFLs have not performed well for me in many applications. Besides the issues with heat, there is an annoying delay for them to produce full illumination when it is very cold - for example my shop or garage in the winter. The entire CFL switch over appears to be a case od good intentions getting ahead of the available technology. We are getting a marginal, in some cases unusable product shoved down our throats. Plus it appears from examining my stash of them that they are manufactured off-shore. What would T. A. Edison think?

It amazes me how many issues folks have with CFL's. We have been 100% CFL for a few years without issues. We did have to find a frind a brand and color temp we liked.

CFL's CAN NOT be used with a dimmer (unless stated)! Most should say that on the package.

After several of the really cheap CFL's exploded and others were making odd noises (yes, I'm talking of you, IKEA!) we have decided to only buy the really expensive CFL's from brands. There are some who will give you 10 or 15 years warrancy, that's a bonus, too.

And then there's the mercury in CFLs. Which is an issue with clumsy people, like myself....

Has anyone had good luck with LED bulbs? They are a bit pricey and I haven't heard if they are worth the $. I'd really like to go that route (currently 100% CFL) but it's an investment.

The mercury in CFLs is ridiculously low. You'd have to EAT a bunch of CFLs to get the same exposure you get from eating fish.

In our house (which is quite old) we've replaced all the wiring we can but there's still some primitive stuff left that doesn't handle power surges as efficiently, and it causes any bulb to burn out after a few months. CFLs just aren't practical from a cost standpoint in this case, and I don't like the idea of adding more heavy metals to landfills than if I were tossing incandescents either. Anyone here who lives in an old house or apartment have a similar problem? Any solutions beyond completely dismantling the ceiling and wall to install new wiring?

We got some LED bulbs from Amazon a few weeks ago and have been pretty happy with them. They are an investment so we really thought about where it made the most sense to put them based on our usage patterns, the light output available, and the type of fixtures we have in each location.

These are the ones we got
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IR7PKE

100 watt incandescent light bulbs will no longer be for sale in the US as of Jan, 2012. Some time after that 60 watt incandescents will be banned. When this legislation was passed the lighting industry promoted CFL's as the solution to everything.
Sadly we are on the cusp of technology. Regular incandescent bulbs are not energy-efficient. CFLs create unattractive light and contain mercury (trace amounts, yes, but add up the mercury in a millions light bulbs in our land fill.) And LED lighting is not ready for residential use. Right now it is excellent at creating a spot of light - either itself or on a wall, etc. But it really can't illuminate a room.

>I don't like the idea of adding more heavy
>metals to landfills than if I were tossing
>incandescents either.

You add more heavy metals to the environment if you don't switch to CFLs, because burning coal is the #1 source of mercury pollution. A single CFL bulb contains much less mercury than is belched into the environment by a coal-fired plant as it generates all the power required by an incandescent bulb. And the mercury in a CFL is much less dangerous, since it's elemental and not already combined into easily-absorbed organic compounds, as the mercury pollution from coal powered plants is. The mercury in CFLs also ends up being either recycled or sequestered in a landfill, not sprayed all over our lakes, streams, rivers and oceans.

I've been using CFLs for over a decade now, and have never had any issues with them. They've saved me a ton of money I'd have otherwise spent on light bulbs and electricity.

We are installing LED recessed lighting, and it seems to work wonderfully. So far it is just in the kitchen, but it is well lit.

There are many other reasons not to make the switch unless absolutely necessary. Number one on the list for me is that the IR signal they emit actually interferes with all my remotes. They are essentially useless if we have CFLs in our living room. Second, if you put them in rooms where the lights are being continually switched on and off (or not being used for extended periods of time), which is basically EVERY OTHER ROOM IN THE HOUSE they are nowhere near as efficient and in some cases can actually be just as energy sucking as normal incandescent bulbs.

So essentially, they are pretty much useless for many households. Which is why I'm waiting for LED to come down. The light isn't that sickly yellowish green colour either and you don't have to wait for ten minutes for them to reach full brightness!