We’ve been using compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs around here, and we’re trying hard to like them, really. But their light makes everyone look sickly, either green or too red, so there is a quality-of-life cost to all that green, energy-saving goodness. Now here’s dimmer maker Lutron trying to convince everyone to forget CFL bulbs and just use halogen bulbs, but dim them.
The result? For starters, dimming halogen or incandescent bulbs by 25% saves 20% in energy, and you might not even notice the less-intense light. Plus, a 3000-hour halogen bulb will last 12,000 hours when dimmed 30%. And then Lutron plays up the problem with disposing the mercury in CFL bulbs, adds that they’re not “fully dimmable” (some are), and accuses the bulbs of flickering (we haven’t noticed this).
You’re still going to save more energy with CFL bulbs, but Lutron makes a good point about CFL’s inferior color rendering capability. And color rendering is not the same as color temperature. But Lutron is spreading a bit of disinformation to sell dimmers here. Even so, we like dimmers, use them everywhere, and think they have their own benefits of ambiance and control. We’ll go with a mix of halogen and CFL and not feel too bad about it.
Via Lutron
editor@dvice.com
By Flicker at 6:16 PM ON 06/12/08
Screw based compact flourescent bulbs FLICKER when they are dimmed below 60%. There is NO CFL bulb that is fully dimmable, even if the mfg states that it is.
I'd say the ones spreading disinformation are the light bulb companies calling CFL's "ECO FRIENDLY" (MERCURY!)
By Traveler at 11:47 AM ON 06/13/08
No glass bulb containing murcury belongs in any house!
By Atagahi at 8:22 PM ON 06/13/08
CFL's definitely flicker. The flicker is made worse when put on a dimmer. I can't use my bedroom overhead light anymore because the flicker causes headaches.
Once the dimmer is turned on fully, the flicker is less visible. But that defeats the purpose of the dimmer.
One of these days, I'll get up there and replace the CFLs with regular bulbs, but until then, I'll keep hating them.
By Homer at 10:30 AM ON 06/16/08
Lutron should make a big case about the mercury in CFLs. Is it less of a household danger than asbestos or lead paint are? I'll not keep any CFLs in my house. Halogen bulbs on a dimmer sound like a better idea.
By cma at 10:33 PM ON 06/30/08
the CFL comments are only based on product that is on the market today (and probably designed a couple of years ago).
There is one company that has designed CFL technology that dims down to 5%, just like an incandescent. And then, since no dimmers worked appropriately, they designed a fluorescent dimmer to work with their technology.
Challenge is that the "establishment" doesn't want to admit that some start-up could develop something that they couldn't. And since they control the distribution network, products they don't approve don't get to market - we get held hostage.
The company is PureSpectrum, www.purespectrumlighting.com. I don't work for them but have seen some of their press releases. Someone should look into them.
By johnkobam at 5:50 AM ON 07/25/08
Perhaps I'm wrong, but my understanding is that most dimmers don't actually reduce the amount of electricity used - only the amount going through the bulb? This makes the whole "dimmer" argument superfluous!