Scott Hebert

A while back, I promised Autumn I would give CFLs a real try. In my office, I use CFLs in the fan, but have kept a 60 watt soft white bulb in my reading lamp. The idea has been that I use the fan light when I need “serious light” (it has three bulbs), and the lamp has always been for lounging around reading for work or pleasure.

My main concern with these fluorescent bulbs stems from my experience with most fluorescent lights — they are sharp and bright and just plain yuck. The last thing I want to do is try to relax underneath something like that.

I can now officially say that my office is fully CFL. My last soft white incandescent bulb burned out, and in accordance with my promise, I replaced it with a new CFL. I can honestly tell you that I’m both amazed and tremendously pleased. The new bulb is described as “soft white”, and it truly is. The difference between this and my old soft white bulbs is barely noticeable. This means that either the light is very similar from both lamps, or I’m just not as sensitive to it as I thought I was.

The positive side of all this is that I’m now using bulbs in my office that require much less energy (13 watts vs 60 watts), and the bulbs have a much longer life. Considering how frequently I use the various lights in my office, this seems like a great savings for my wallet and the environment.

Now, how can you dislike that?

Tags: cfl, environment, fluorescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, green, incadescent bulbs