energy efficient lights

[Barry J]

I want to put energy efficient lights in our ceiling fan, I put some in my daughters, but it takes about 4-5 minutes for them to get up to full brightness.

Is there a certain kind i can get that does not do that?? Or a certain label to look out for??

Thanks

Barry

[Speedy Petey]

Nope. They all do that. But they are worth it.

[Scuba_Dave]

What brand are you using?
I use Nvision & Bright Effects
While they are not immeditaley full power - they don't take 4-5 minutes

[jimbo]

Slow run up to full brightness tends to be a characteristic of electronic ballast instant start bulbs. But some, Philips or TCP I think, makes a line called "InstaBrite" try those.

[99k]

When they take the mercury out, then I will buy them!

[Scuba_Dave]

When they take the mercury out, then I will buy them!

You mean the same mercury that is in every flourescent bulb/tube including millions of work sites??

[jadnashua]

If you can find them on sale somewhere they may be an alternative, LED bulb replacments are instant on, and will might outlast you and the fixture you install them in....just that they are sooo expensive right now. http://www.smarthome.com/973141/C-Cr...ite-2CW/p.aspxIs an example of one, there are a lot of them out there.

[iminaquagmire]

They just burn out. I did have one in which the ballast burned up in and melted the housing, but that was a no name brand and probably 6 years ago when they were first becoming widely available. If you're worried about the mercury, don't throw them away. The recycling center here takes them and I know there are places you can ship them if your local town doesn't.

All of mine are nvision and are instant on by the way. The only bulbs in the house that aren't CFL's are the GU10 bulbs in my recessed cans and the halogens in the motion light for the backyard. Even the flood lights for the track lighting are CFL's.

The LED bulb posted above is only equivalent to a 25 or 30 watt incandescent. I can't direct link to it, but SuperBrightLEDs.com has quite a few less expensive LED bulbs from edison screw base to MR16.

[jimbo]

LED will be the bulb of the future. The US energy department has commited to that, but I think the drop dead date is 2015. By then the technology will have evolved, and the price will come down. Right now the cost of LED to replace a regular 40 watt bulb is $50 to $115, and the electrical savings would not pay that back if you lived to be a hundred!

So, I will stay with fluorescents until the government realizes they have created a mercury disaster that will make the Love Canal look like a tea party!

On the plus side, Home Depot has stepped up to the plate, and accepts all fluorescents for recycle from all comers. I do not go out of my way to recycle. Last weekend, my old microwave just went right in the dumpster, because I refuse to schlep that all over town. But HD stores are everywhere, and I AM a little concerned about mercury, so I will drop bulbs off there.

[Speedy Petey]

You mean the same mercury that is in every flourescent bulb/tube including millions of work sites??

Yeah really. Work sites, homes, offices, stores, ............

There is entirely too much hype over these lamps.

[Scuba_Dave]

I won't ever use them indoors, but, I do use them outside. I am wondering though when they do burn out, will they break or just burn out? I haven't had one go yet, but I do use one in the postlamp, front porch, and 3 flood lights.

They just burn out, I have never had one break due to burning out. I have been using CFL's for about 15 years. I still have one of my original CFL's bulbs

[jwelectric]

anyone know where these CFL bulbs are made at?

[Scuba_Dave]

Box I just looked at says Made in China

[jwelectric]

Box I just looked at says Made in China

Why am I not surprised?????????????

China is the only country that does not restrict the manufacturing process of these bulbs. They all are made in China so bare in mind that for every bulb you buy another American is starving to death because they can not find work.

[jimbo]

Why am I not surprised?????????????

China is the only country that does not restrict the manufacturing process of these bulbs. They all are made in China so bare in mind that for every bulb you buy another American is starving to death because they can not find work.

And another chinese child will suffer brain damage from mercury poisoning.