What is the down side to owning those energy saving bulbs?
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The newer bulbs are great!
Absolutely will not work on dimmers.
Some bulbs have a hum. I have a dozen or so in my house, had to replace one because of a hum. Actually moved it to the garage thinking the hum would not be a problem there, but it stopped. Perhaps it wasn't making real good contact? Who knows.
Some say they aren't as bright, I haven't noticed that. You can safely put a 75W equivalent in a 60W fixture if that is a problem.
The color is a bit different. I like it better than a standard bulb, not as well as the Reveal bulbs I was using. Not having to change bulbs as often makes it worth it.
Don't expect a huge reduction in your electric bill. Hardly noticeable, but if everyone does it it will add up. Again, I love them because you rarely have to change them. I hate changing bulbs, if you haven't caught on to that.
Some cry about the drop of mercury in the bulbs. They fail to realize that the amount of mercury spewed out of a coal generating plant to generate the power saved is significantly more than the mercury in the bulb. In the big picture, CFLs reduce the amount of mercury in the environment.
The other mercury issue is the cleanup costs if something breaks. Mainly an issue due to media reports of someone breaking a bulb and having to pay a huge amount to have it cleaned up. The funny part is the mercury is vaporized and dissipates in the air. I don't know what they were cleaning up, but it wasn't the mercury. It is not a good thing to have happen, but fluorescents have been in homes for many years, and I don't know of anyone that has died from one breaking yet. There are far worse things in your home.
They are filled with mercury which is harmful to the environment and can be considered dangerous to people.
They don't seem to be as bright, and they have a hum in some lamps. The three way light bulbs are to big for most 3 way lamp shade frames.
your electric bill goes down. the bulbs cost more but they last for ever it seems. i have been using one for over 6 years now.
They are not very bright. They also take a few seconds to come on. I do use them though, they last forever!
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