I went back and rechecked the prices in the Hyper mart and 2 builders-merchants, one national big store the other a small local business. The cheapest cfl [coiled] was [ = to ] US$10 each, but they went up to over US$12 each for a 22W 'traditional bulb shape' version. Incandescents varied from $0.75 up to $1.50 each depending on brand.
Even at these prices, I'll admit a low energy bulb is paid for in less than 1000 hours use.
My objections are: delayed start; slow build up to full power, the color quality of the light, and that they can be dangerous to us users of rotating machinery. From my own perspective, is it me getting old, or are the 'equivalent to' wattage ratings on these bulbs a bit optimistic? They never seem to throw as much light out as an incandescent.
My other objection is being pontificated at by some fourth-rate smarmy gummint parasites on my right to choose my light bulbs, as if we had no other pressing problems to deal with. These are the very same morons who intend to waste best part of $20,000,000,000 on a bunch of losers who can run fast in the London Olympics in 2012. How much carbon that utterly boring fiasco will dump into the atmosphere, God alone knows.
