Dollar General told my boss's wife . . .

[The Tinman]

HHANDBASKET -You can get dimmable CFL, Also nobody mention but CFL only last longer the incandeseant if they are kepted on. If you turn them on and 5 min. later you turn it off and then someone else comes and turns it on like you would do in your bathroom they don`t last. They also take time to warm up to reach full brightness. They are also not recommended for use with a timer switch.

 

[HHandbasket]

You're right, the CFL's DON'T last like they say. We put CFLs in our bedroom (no dimmer switch) when we moved into this house 2 years ago. We just replaced them for the 2nd time (so this is the 3rd set of lights all together in that room in 2 years). That's about the same as with incandescents.

ETA: Where do you find "dimmer" CFLs? I have looked and looked and asked and asked and have never heard of them. That would make a difference in my office area and dining room.

 

[Baymule]

What about LED's, anybody try them yet?

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
They DO exist, they are expensive and are kinda like three way lights. there are three 'loops' for lack of better description, and they turn on in sequence the more juice you put through. They are 100%, 66% and 33% nothing in-between - and they don't last as long yet.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Home Depot and Lowe's are taking CFLs for recycling no charge, except that some of the stores hadn't been told and you might get a blank stare.
For those with no stores nearby try entering your zip code here to get the closest recycler to you. http://earth911.com/
LEDs are definitely the way to go but not until the cost comes down. Cost benefit analysis over the life of the bulb shows that cfls are currently the best over incandescent or LED.
Currently payback analysis shows the following:
It takes a year of use for CFLs to beat incandescent.
It takes 4 years of use for LEDs to beat incandescent.
It takes 30 years of use for LEDs to beat CFLs.
As LEDs come down in price that will change.
LEDs are great for places that are almost impossible to reach since you may never have to replace them.
Over 90% of lights in my house have been changed over and I save a noticeable amount on electricity. The downside is they aren't as bright as the equivalent when first fired up but tend to get brighter the longer they're on.
Where I need brighter light I use something like a 30w equivalent to 120w inc. Farmtek has them for $10 off. http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/ProductDisplay?catalogId=11551&storeId=10001&mfPartNumber=CLL106147&isClearanceItem=true&langId=-1&division=FarmTek

There are also dimmable CFLs now.

 

[SallyF]

We live out in the boonies with no Lowe's or Home Depot nearby. Our local electric company says they're taking them for recycling, but I haven't been there when they are open yet.