CFL's have come a long way; I have VOLUNTARILY changed all my household bulbs to CFL's. Here's what I've learned over the past six years or so:
- A rough conversion of size is 4x the CFL watts = Normal lightbulb watts.
- CFL's tend to run almost forever - or crap out within a month. A fairly high percentage will not last six months. I attribute this to poor quality control.
- Most CFL's are physically larger than the equivalent 'normal' bulb, so there will be problems with light trims and globes.
- The perceived heat given off by a CFL is notably less than that of a 'normal' bulb. Especially in summer, you WILL notice the difference.
- CFL's are available in different 'color temps.' I have found my preference has changed to the "daylight' types. Even the 'cool white' seems too yellow now.
- CFL's perform well in the weather, and rough service. For example, one has served well in my trouble light. The also perform well in cold weather, even into the teens.
- CFL's take maybe 15 minutes to reach full brightness.Personally, I like this trait when I first awake. Especially in cold weather, this warm up period is noticeable, and folks will often think something is wrong.
I have not encountered any CFL's that can be dimmed, despite the claims of politicians and the trade press. I suspect that, like LED's, the dim-able CFL exists only in the marketing departments.
