If you ever had an old thermometer, you would need 100 CFLs to equal the mercury in one of those. The new CFL lighting colors are not different than a normal bulb. CFL costs and technology has come a long way in the last 5 years. LEDs, once the price drops, will be far better.
I dispute this. The CFL's emit a line spectrum, and this may be balanced to give an equivalent in some sort of scalar average, but the lines are bound to interact with the reflective properties of various materials in different ways than the continuous spectrum of an incandescent bulb.
BTW, I have a diffraction grating mounted in a "slide" frame ( remember them? ) and it's an easy matter to hold it up to my eye and make casual spectral observations of various sources.
( When I tell my wife, "I'm going up to the corner to look at the traffic lights," she becomes quite concerned that I'll absent-mindedly wander into traffic. )
But will they be any good in light fixtures that only accept 60 watts? because the next step is already in the process - mandating light fixtures/lamps that can only take up to 60 watts
“The new CFL lighting colors are not different than a normal bulb. CFL costs and technology has come a long way in the last 5 years.”
You need to check your facts a little closer.
Light quality is rated by a term called CRI.
link.
“The color rendering of a light source describes that source’s ability to accurately render the colors of perceived objects - people and things. As a general rule, the higher a light source’s Color Rendering Index (CRI) number, the better the lamp will make things appear.
SP lamps have a CRI of 70+ making them better color rendering light sources than older standard fluorescent lamps. SPX lamps have a CRI of 80+ even better than SP lamps, an even higher color rendering with the same high efficiency. A second consideration in light source selection is the degree of visual “coolness” or “warmth” of the light source.”
What they don’t say is none of the CFL lamps make any deep red. They make a orange color. This is why retail stores don’t use CFL for displays because it is important for the deep red on models to stand out.
Most CFL lamps will be around 80 CRI but many cheaper ones will be 70 CRI. There is some 85 bulbs but they run at higher pressure and have a much shorter life and have lower efficiency.
To prove what you are talking about please post a link to any CFL lamp with a CRI over 90 that has a 3000 Keven or lower color temp. There is none.
There are millions of fixtures that will not allow for the larger size CFL lamps to fit and all the cheaper CFL lamps state that they are not to be mounted in enclosed fixtures. I have installed some in closed fixtures and they have failed.
I spent over $150 last year on CFL for my small house. In fact I have one running now as my main light. It is a special 42 watt (They say 150 watt =) I had to use a special shade to improve the light quality.
There is just so much wrong with this law. If they can ban the incandescent lamp what is to stop them from baning the dishwasher? The dryer?
I do believe we have the right to select any lamps we want to. What on earth can give the government the right to stop the sales of the incandescent lamp?
This may be the first lawsuit I have ever joined.