Compact flourescent light bulbs have a lot of advantages over traditional incandescent bulbs. They last 10 times as long. They burn far less energy. They emit less heat.
But significant drawbacks have slowed their adoption. They cost 12 to 40 times as much as incandescent bulbs. They’re too big to fit in many sockets. They take a few seconds to reach full brightness. And while the quality of their light has improved, most people don’t think it looks as good as the warm glow of an incandescent.
Fortunately, USA Today reports, bulb makers are chipping away at most of these problems.
• Osram Sylvania today kicks off the CFL makeover with a model called the micromini Twist, which is 3.7 inches in length. A standard CFL is 4.6 inches, or about 1/10 of an inch longer than an incandescent.
The micromini, which costs $10 for a two-pack, also has a color temperature close to incandescents. Many CFLs have higher temperatures that cause them to emit a bluish hue.
• Philips Lighting later this week is introducing a three-way CFL that functions like a typical three-way bulb. It turns on instantly and shows three distinct bands of light.
• GE Consumer & Industrial later this year is coming out with a CFL that looks exactly like an incandescent. Although some CFLs sport the same shape, they’re larger.
Sadly, all of these bulbs cost more than older CFLs, not less, so the price gap probably won’t disappear anytime soon. (A CFL can save you $50 in energy costs over its life, so it does pay for itself. Most people don’t seem to realize that, though.)
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