apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I use Verilux full spectrum CFLs. Granted, the light is much whiter and cooler than what people are used to seeing with incandescent bulbs, so it takes some getting used to. But my plants LOVE these lights and look much healthier, with lots of new growth, since I've been using them, and they do make the colors of rugs, furniture, etc, look richer and more vibrant, IMO. However, it's important to note that both of those benefits are due to using the full spectrum CFLs, not just CFLs.

To anybody who is looking for dimmable CFL's, heed this warning, my husband and I paid close to $20 each for them, and the bulb died within 3 months! I guess the technology is just not there yet. Don't buy them. Total waste of money!

It's probably just me, but I think the bulb assortment, as it is in the photo, would make a very nice modern chandelier...
A kind of green version of Droog's "85 lamps".

Would look nice over a dining table..

ok, maybe it's just me.

Ian B:
I agree, it is an idea similar to Joel Degermark's Cluster Lamp, which is unfortunately for the European market. BUT be sure to check out How To: Make a Socket Chandelier.

The CFL bulbs available at IKEA work very well with a dimmer switch. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00067731 They say not dimmable but...

After installing half IKEA CFLs and half GE CFLs I immediately blew out the entire GE side of lights, but the IKEA bulbs have been going strong for over 6 months now.

BE VERY CAREFUL about dimming CFL bulbs that are not designed for that purpose.

In order to make the bulbs small, they bury electronics inside the base (instead of using big heavy transformers like old timey flourescents) which tend to gererate a lot of heat.

Lowering the voltage puts a strain on the electonic components generating even more heat, and makes them susceptible to overheating and causing a fire.

Try collecting on an insurance claim if your non dimmable CFL causes a fire and the investigation determines that they were on a dimmer.

Just sayin...

The article is kind of annoying in the stressing of how "harsh" the various lights are. I'm an artist (i.e. I know how light affects color, mood, etc) and my whole house is full of CFLs. I use a full spectrum bulb on my drawing table lamp and reading lamp but thats it. I've never noticed a difference in the light otherwise.

What really bugs me is that the article fails to mention that a raw CFL will look a lot different if put into a lamp with a shade - something to diffuse the light. How many people have raw incandescent bulbs hanging around their housese. (rhetorical question - I know the answer is far too many)

So... are all of us who have halogen ceiling tracks going need to rip them out after 2012? Toss our Tizios? Throw thousands of dollars of lighting into the landfill?

'm a bit unclear about how "normal" halogen's come out in all this. If CFLs are the only choice, will someone make bulbs that will fit designer fixtures? Will the bulbs produce the light required?

I'd think that anyone re-doing their apartment/lighting should look into what their options will be.

Until they come out with a PAR20 CFL that looks half decent, I'm sticking with halogen. As a photographer and painter, I disagree that there is no noticeable difference between CFL's and halogen / incandescent. In fact, pick up a relatively recent issue of ID mag - the editorial was about how guilty the green-leaning staff felt about rejecting CFL's because they look so crappy. Sorry, the tech is just not there yet.

The hype over CFLs has reached a fever peak, and these stories don't do much to change that. Their primary focus is on the quality of light, and how CFLs compare with incandescents. But the issues go far beyond.

Hardly any attention is paid to the critical issues of mercury in every CFL, the lack of recycling or disposal capability, the outrageous and unsubstantiated claims of cost savings and the well-intentioned, but ill-advised, social engineering that takes place when Costco (for example) no longer offers you any choice but CFLs.

For the best analysis and deconstruction of the hype so far: www.jaisunphoto.com/CFLmadness.html .

"the outrageous and unsubstantiated claims of cost savings..." bigshot 1.

How do we get to this point then when massive construction projects are receiving incentives to use products like CFL's when nobody really knows the facts?

I was under the impression that the ballasts on CFL's are actually less energy efficient than incandescents.