the F-word

I don't know if watching An Inconvenient Truth was the straw, but .. I replaced all ten R30 floodlights in my kitchen with "GE Soft White 65 indoor floodlights"; they're only 15 watts each and are fluorescent, although you'd never know that by reading the product description on the package (GE avoids the F-word completely - I checked the entire package and it's not mentioned at all).


traditional R30 (incandescent) floodlight next to a CFL (compact fluorescent) equivalent

For the first 30 seconds or so, they're not at full light output (720 lumens); after that they're fine (hard to tell that they're not incandescent, although I don't see the CRI [Color Rendition Index] listed). Also, there's about a half-second pause between the time I flick the switch and the light comes on. Either way, it's not a deal breaker. They're "no flicker-start" unlike the fluorescent tubes I grew up with (bathroom mirror), which required an odd cylindrical starter - behind the tube - that required periodic replacement.

It also brought a flashback of my college library (during the Carter administration) when they replaced white fluorescent tubes that burned out, with green ones. Someone told the buyer that we'd never notice the difference in color. Well, side by side they were very obvious (it might not have been so bad if they'd replaced entire sections at a time). Lesson learned, I installed CFLs in all sockets in one room so there's no side-by-side comparison.

Now I have to wait until 2011 when they burn out (yes, 5 year life projected, although I've seen statements that lead me to expect a 30% light drop toward their end of life).

Related find: Energy Star Color Rendering Index