I switched from conventional bulbs to CFL bulbs and saw my energy bill drop 20% the first full month of use from the exact same month last year with nearly identical weather conditions. Needless to say I’m rather happy with the purchase. They have a 1-3 sec delay on ‘warming’ up but I’d much rather keep the extra $30/month.
That's great and the government didn't even tell you that you had to do it.
My rat party run state government has recently told us that a CO2 detector is mandatory in every home. I already had 2 of them.
I'm waiting for state inspections to make sure everyone is in compliance.
I switched about 75% to CFL, and my experience with them has been mixed. FIRST. They don't last any longer than incandescent bulbs - less than incandescent in enclosed fixtures. SECOND, they have a nasty tendency to fail by catching on fire (internal in the plastic base part) THIRD the orientation makes a big difference in how long they last base down lasts the longest, base up the shortest, and horizontal between the two, with the life being close to base up. FOURTH, They dim considerably over the life of the bulb. a new one is noticeably brighter than one reaching the midpoint of its life (nothing new here, all fluorescents have this property). Fifth, they are not feasible for anything more than a 100W incandescent equivalent. They are available in 150W equivalents ($11 each that DO NOT FIT into lamps that would take a 150 or 250 2way) I've replaced three ways with 150W halogens they last about four times as long and provide bright light for most of the life of the bulb.
Once more Kongress sticks its unwanted nose into consumer choice issues.
Factor in the increased first cost and the increased replacement cost, divide by your energy savings, and figure out your payback period for the "cheaper" bulbs.
Will you still be alive, or long dead, by the time your energy savings offsets your increased first cost?