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The only place in our house where we don't have either CFL or other types of high efficiency flourescents are the two halogen bulbs in the range hood and the incandescent bulb inside the garage door opener. And, when I find some to fit, I will replace those with CFLs.
In the living and sleeping areas we use standard 27K lights, some on dimmer switches. For photo use I use 51K lamps, and for graphic and painting work we use 60K for a more natural color balance.
I find that the 60K CFLs give a much more natural daylight than the full spectrum incandescents I have used in the past.
..I think the incandascent full spectrums give a better quality light...
Well, just like the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of the picture is in the seeing. So, if you take your picture outside at noon on a clear day and the colors look bright and natural, your studio light is OK, regardless of whether it came from incandescents or CFLs.
Some of the greatest artists in the history of mankind lit their studios with candles.
Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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For those complaining the light is too dim, remember the thing about a 12 watt CFL being equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent. We buy one up from the watt equivalent for the light. That is, if the fixture is rated for a 60 watt bulb, we buy the 20 watt CLF (which is a 75 watt equivalent). This is still 2/3 less power and is 2/3 below the max wattage rating, but gives out more light than the 15 watt CLF. You lights are rated for the actual wattage of the bulb, not the watt-equivalent.
For those complaining the light is too dim, remember the thing about a 12 watt CFL being equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent. We buy one up from the watt equivalent for the light. That is, if the fixture is rated for a 60 watt bulb, we buy the 20 watt CLF (which is a 75 watt equivalent). This is still 2/3 less power and is 2/3 below the max wattage rating, but gives out more light than the 15 watt CLF. You lights are rated for the actual wattage of the bulb, not the watt-equivalent.
Yup. I do this too. CFLs also dim as they age.
The mercury is what worries me.
Halogen bulbs typically have a brighter light (but lots of heat) that is especially good for spotlighting at much lower wattage than incandescents. The savings come from the reduced wattage. A halogen or CFL of equal real wattage to an incandescent saves nothing. So a brighter light from fewer watts is what is energy saving.
Halogen bulbs typically have a brighter light (but lots of heat) that is especially good for spotlighting at much lower wattage than incandescents. The savings come from the reduced wattage.
Halogen bulbs may look brighter because they are smaller than an incandescent of equal wattage, but the watt/lumen ratio is about the same. In other words, a 100 watt incandescent puts out about the same amount of light as a 100 watt halogen (approx. 1600-1700 lumens).
With both the incandescent and the halogen, much of the energy is wasted as heat.
The incandescent has a rated life of about 800 hrs, while the halogen is rated at about 3000 hrs.
With a CFL the watt/lumen ratio is about four times as high. It only takes about 23 watts to get the same amount of light as either the 100 watt incandescent or the 100 watt halogen.
The rated life of the CFL is about 10,000 hours.
The bottom line is that the incandescent and the halogen use the same amount of energy to produce the same amount of light, but the halogen lasts more than three times as long.
The CFL uses 1/4 the energy to produce the same light and lasts about 12 times longer than the incandescent, and 3.5 times longer than the halogen.
The only thing that makes me batty over any of this, is all of the different types/styles of bulbs, and exactly where to go to try to find them. When we had a bulb go out in the under-the-counter lighting, I had a heck of a time, finding the right bulb -- a tiny little halogen.
I cannot recall the number of trips I made to the stores in search of a replacement, and that was with the bulb in a little plastic baggie in my handbag.
One feature I do like about the fixtures under the kitchen counters is a little switch that lets me have the lights on bright, or a second, slightly dimmer setting.
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