Biggest problem I've seen with them is that when you first turn on the light, the bulb is not at full intensity, and it takes about a minute to get to full brightness.

Something I do like about them is that because they produce little heat, you can use a bulb which is brighter than a given fixture is usually allowed. For example I have a fixture at the top of my stairs which is 100w max, but I like to be brighter than that. An approx 40w CFL which produces the same light output as a 150w incandescent works safely in this fixture.

I agree Ansky. And I?m not so sure that these compact fluorescent lightbulbs (cfls) really are good for the environment given that they contain small amounts of mercury. And while they are great in theory (as a user, I know they are efficient and they do last a long time) you have to be very careful in what you buy and how you handle them. For instance:
- If you have dimmer switches, you need to be sure that you buy the cfls that are designed to handle dimmers (yes, they do make them);
- If you have three-way switches on any of your lamps, you must buy the variety of cfls that can handle the different current strengths (they are available);
- If you have ceiling fans, be sure to buy the cfls that can handle the vibrations (yes, they make them);
- You should never use cfls in recessed fixtures;
- Cfls can sometimes interfere with electronic devices such as cell phones and remotes;
- Cfls are most efficient if you keep them on for more than 15 minutes. If you are constantly turning off your lights, you loose the benefit of the savings;
- Cfls contain small amounts of mercury and must be disposed of properly; never incinerate a cfl; never throw one out with general garbage; always enclose a cfl in a strong plastic baggie when you do dispose of a lamp; if one breaks in your home, never vacuum the pieces as this will disperse the mercury into the air.
CFLs are great in theory but consumers should be educated about them, especially since they will completely replace standard bulbs in the next couple of years. I know that GE is working on a bulb that does not use mercury, but they have not made significant progress as of yet.

I saw a news segment on these bulbs. While it may be good for the environment, the cost savings is only about $5/year total if you replaced every bulb in your house with the fluorescent bulbs.

From The Record:
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Bright idea: 100,000 free light bulbs
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

By ALEX NUSSBAUM
STAFF WRITER

North Jersey's largest electric supplier will hand out 100,000 free compact fluorescent light bulbs to its customers, taking the crusade against global warming to the grass roots.

The bulbs could cut state emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses by 40,000 tons over their lifetime, all while trimming customers' power bills, said Ralph Izzo, the chief executive of PSEG Enterprise Inc., parent company of Public Service Electric and Gas Co.

"While climate change is a global problem, there are steps that each of us can take to make a difference," Izzo said Monday during a Newark press conference to announce the campaign.

The bulbs, limited to one per customer, will be handed out by company staff on service calls and distributed via the utility's 16 customer service centers. The main targets of the giveaway are the low- and moderate-income consumers who use the centers most often, Izzo said, though anyone can have a bulb.

"All of our customers should have universal access to these improvements," he said.

The utility supplies most of Bergen, Passaic and Hudson counties and Lincoln Park in Morris County. Locally, it has service centers in Hackensack, Passaic and Paterson.

Fluorescent bulbs require 75 percent less energy than traditional incandescent models. That means fewer greenhouse gasses spewing from power plants powered by fossil fuels.

The utility sees the campaign mainly as an "educational tool," Izzo said.

Each bulb will also save customers about $30 in electricity costs over its lifetime, he added.

The announcement came two days after a United Nations panel issued its latest grim assessment of global warming science. The panel warned that humanity had only a few years to start reversing the trend before devastating changes to the climate become inevitable.

Studies have forecast severe flooding along the Jersey Shore and mass extinctions of wildlife, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., noted at the press conference.

"We all have a stake in this," he said.

The utility is not acting solely out of altruism. It wants state approval to finance customers' installations of solar panels, energy?efficient appliances and other equipment. Its proposals call for rate increases to help pay for the effort.

It also wants to build a new nuclear plant in South Jersey and realizes it needs to promote conservation and renewable energies first to win the public's approval, Izzo said.

"To the extent that we get prompt state action to create that business opportunity for utilities, we'll then show others that you can do well by doing good," he said.

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