Are Those Warm White Spiral Bulbs Worth It?

[Dragnov]

Cost me ~$10 for a 27w(100w) one. My normal bulb blew, so I needed to get a new bulb. Took a trip to Home Depot, and was looking at getting a flourescent but they were too expensive for my blood and I didn't want to be making any holes in the wall.

It claims to save electricty (27w compared to standard 100w), last a lot longer, etc.

I like it so far.. it's brighter and more white. But is it worth the cost?

 

[0roo0roo]

ikea has em for like 5 bux probably magnetic ballast, not as good but most people don't notice. most stores probably don't sell electronic ballast lights for less then 15 bux anyways i have a mix of cheap/expensive lights. mostly i light my room using 7 7watt ikeas have a 150watt equiv panasonic flourecent if i feel like blinding myself.

 

[Antoneo]

Took a trip to Home Depot, and was looking at getting a flourescent but they were too expensive for my blood and I didn't want to be making any holes in the wall.

Uhm, I am pretty sure these bulbs are flourescent . Well, my house bulbs are slowly being replaced with those spirals and they are used in places that usually have the light on most of the day (ie basement, living room). They seemed to be a bright white when new but slowly turn into a reddish-white or a yellowish-white depending on the manufacturer. Also as they age, it seems that it takes a little longer for them to reach their brightest. Overall, I'm satisfied with em. Is it worth the cost? Not sure but they better be.

 

[JC]

Hell yeah.....you'd see some electricity bill savings if you had 'em in the whole house. And by the time you have to replace it, you prolly won't remember when you installed it

JC

PS If I read your post correctly.....the spiral bulbs are fluorescent

 

[ElFenix]

compact flourescent? do they drain the life out of you like the regular full sized ones do?

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: Antoneo

Took a trip to Home Depot, and was looking at getting a flourescent but they were too expensive for my blood and I didn't want to be making any holes in the wall.

Uhm, I am pretty sure these bulbs are flourescent . Well, my house bulbs are slowly being replaced with those spirals and they are used in places that usually have the light on most of the day (ie basement, living room). They seemed to be a bright white when new but slowly turn into a reddish-white or a yellowish-white depending on the manufacturer. Also as they age, it seems that it takes a little longer for them to reach their brightest. Overall, I'm satisfied with em. Is it worth the cost? Not sure but they better be.

Well I'm talking about the true fluorescent w/ the big tubes. I really like the soft white, and this was the closest I could get w/o spending ~$30+.

 

[McPhreak]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
ikea has em for like 5 bux probably magnetic ballast, not as good but most people don't notice. most stores probably don't sell electronic ballast lights for less then 15 bux anyways i have a mix of cheap/expensive lights. mostly i light my room using 7 7watt ikeas have a 150watt equiv panasonic flourecent if i feel like blinding myself.

I got mine at Ikea...like 0rrooor0r000r0rr said, they cost like 5 bux so it was well worth it.

 

[NewSc2]

iono, my tv/monitor in my room gives me a decent amount of light bathroom, kitchen lights are rarely used so i guess it depends on how often you use the light bulb.

 

[Dragnov]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
compact flourescent? do they drain the life out of you like the regular full sized ones do?

I've heard that, but I never felt affected. I have two huge ones at home in the living room, and I love the white lite over the yellow standard bulbs.

 

[Moonbeam]

Probably depends what you pay for electricity. Another question might be how much energy it takes to make one and environmental costs. We don't have a market system that factors real costs. A lot of cost is being shoved off to today's and tomorrows youth. The bill might be extinction.

 

[Kevin]

I thought the whole point of flourescent lightbulbs was that they were more energy efficient and lasted longer that conventional light bulbs? We have a few in assorted lights around the house they are still going, some for a few months to a year now...

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Probably depends what you pay for electricity. Another question might be how much energy it takes to make one and environmental costs. We don't have a market system that factors real costs. A lot of cost is being shoved off to today's and tomorrows youth. The bill might be extinction.

i don't know about the extinction part but you're dead on about not having a market system that factors in real costs.

 

[0roo0roo]

it also gives you options. the 7 watt lights i have scattered around my room are equiv to 35 each. i certainly wouldn't have put 35's all around. the heat alone would suck multiple sources makes for softer lighting

 

[charrison]

Does anyone have any stats on if these bulbs actually save money in the long run?

 

[Moonbeam]

Found this:

"Yes compact florescent bulbs are more expensive to use but the are much more long-lastingthan incandescent bulbs lasting 9-13 times longer for a 60-85% savings."

Don't know how up to date it is.

Seen somewhere else where it said it costs about 50 to 150 a year for the average house hold for lights.

 

[PsychoAndy]

I like them. Although they do cost more, I do find it lights better and it is MUCH cooler in my room.

Your energy costs get lower not just on the energry required to light the thing, but because you're not heating the room as much.

-PAB

 

[charrison]

GE lighting audit

 

[lowtech1]

I found that the higher cost of the energy saver lights negate the saving and maybe cost even more than traditional lights. I also like the warm tone of incandescent light, and they also function as heater in the winter. I don't see why I would want to change over unless the cost of the energy saver lights drop. Just look at how many people still have solar panel on there roof, and it once was a environmental thing to do in the 70s.

 

[vegetation]

I use the GE ones, they only cost me $4 a piece for the 100 watt equiv. They do take about 30 seconds to achieve most of their brightness, and another 30 seconds for full brightness, but I found this is hardly noticeable if you use two or three bulbs in an area where you turn lights on/off a lot, like the bathroom. With just one bulb in a room though, it can be very noticeable for the warmup time. As far as light warmth, I honestly cannot tell the difference between these and an incadescent. Only time can tell if these bulbs live up to their claim of long life.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: vegetation
I use the GE ones, they only cost me $4 a piece for the 100 watt equiv. They do take about 30 seconds to achieve most of their brightness, and another 30 seconds for full brightness, but I found this is hardly noticeable if you use two or three bulbs in an area where you turn lights on/off a lot, like the bathroom. With just one bulb in a room though, it can be very noticeable for the warmup time. As far as light warmth, I honestly cannot tell the difference between these and an incadescent. Only time can tell if these bulbs live up to their claim of long life.

yea i think the ge bulbs are electronic ballast like my panasonics. no buzz, but slow warm up. ikea cheapies are near instant brightness though. as for the cost savings, i bet the most are based on when the bulbs cost more, so the savings are even better now. some of my first bulbs were 14 bux.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: vegetation
I use the GE ones, they only cost me $4 a piece for the 100 watt equiv. They do take about 30 seconds to achieve most of their brightness, and another 30 seconds for full brightness, but I found this is hardly noticeable if you use two or three bulbs in an area where you turn lights on/off a lot, like the bathroom. With just one bulb in a room though, it can be very noticeable for the warmup time. As far as light warmth, I honestly cannot tell the difference between these and an incadescent. Only time can tell if these bulbs live up to their claim of long life.

yea i think the ge bulbs are electronic ballast like my panasonics. no buzz, but slow warm up. ikea cheapies are near instant brightness though. as for the cost savings, i bet the most are based on when the bulbs cost more, so the savings are even better now. some of my first bulbs were 14 bux.

Where are you getting $4 bulbs at?

 

[rgwalt]

I got a 13W compact fluorescent, and I'm not happy with it at all. It is supposed to be equivalent to 60W, but it is maybe the equivalent of a 40W. I'll have to try the 27W version.

Ryan

 

[SuperCyrix]

Pros
They are brighter
They don't produce anywhere near as much heat as incandecents
The amount of electricity they save for a 100W equivilent is 100-27 or 63Watts. This is .063 Kilowatts. The amount of cash you save in a year for this particular bulb is given by the equation (.063) * (what Edison charge per Kilowatt hour) * (365 days) * (number of hours per day)

Suppose Edison charge 5 Cents per kilowatt hour and you leave the lamp on 4 hours a day. That's about $4.60 you save with one bulb over the span of a year. You save much much more by shutting off that damn 600watts computer you have running when you're not using it.

Cons
Expensive
They do radiate in very high frequencies so your cellphones, non digital TV, radio, cordless phones, and anything else wireless might be effected.

 

[vegetation]

Military commissary. They always sell out wickedly fast each time they are restocked weekly.

Where are you getting $4 bulbs at?

 

[Kadarin]

This is a thread Jerboy would've approved of, could he have but been here.

I use these bulbs in a few light fixtures in my apartment, but they won't fit in the fixture where I want one the most (the main kitchen light). I'd need to go buy another glass cover/fixture thingie.