Dimmable CFL bulbs offer the best of both worlds; combining energy efficiency with beautiful romantic lighting. However, not all dimmable bulbs are the same – some perform significantly better than others when it comes to how well they dim.
The whole CFL market got a bad name in the early years because they couldn’t do the things a tungsten could do. There’s no doubt that compact fluorescent bulbs have always been more energy efficient, although until recently the common light bulb was superior in terms of warmup time and dimmability. Lightbulb manufacturers have since invented some pretty cool CFL technology that can compete with ordinary light bulbs in terms of cost, instant on, quality of the light output, and shape. The final frontier for the dimmable CFL is to make them highly affordable without compromising on performance. While they have not succeeded yet – I think they are perhaps just a few years away.
A lot of folks make the mistake of judging the CFL for its teething problems, however the CFL is starting to come of age now. People are often surprised at how CFLs are indistinguishable from ordinary bulbs.
Dimmable CFLs are now able to perform to the same standard or better than tungsten bulbs in all areas bar one; price. It’s common to have to pay around 4 times the price for a dimming CFL compared to other type of lights (e.g. tungsten or normal CFL), and this is causing demand to remain low. But with time there is no reason this could come right down.
In the meantime I still think dimming cfl lightbulbs are a very wise investment even if you are put off by the extra cost. An important point is that over time a CFL will make up for the extra expense several times over, through lower electricity bills. In most households, lighting accounts for 15% of electricity bills and each bulb can reduce your bills by around $10 – $30 per year.
One of the best things you can do if you are considering installing some dimmable cfls in your home is to buy a small sample to test. One suggestion is to buy a selection of bulbs from various manufactures for you to compare at your home. I really emphasise choosing the right brand as there is a huge difference in performance between products.
In spring 2010, the UK consumer advice magazine “Which?” recently reviewed Megaman’s GSU111d dimmerable bulb and gave it a best buy recommendation. The rounded up many different cfl bulbs (although only one was dimmable) and considered factors such as light output, performance in cold temperatures, start-up time, and durability.
I have just ordered this product to test it with my dimmers at home. Please feel free to contact me via my blog if you have any questions regarding dimmable lightbulbs (details below).
The Dimmable CFL Blog is a site dedicated to spreading the word about this cool invention. The site is a must read for anyone considering installing dimmable CFL bulbs.
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