[fingpilot]

Hugh;

I just changed everything in the house over to CFL's. Did not change the dimmables, but I see now that there even models for that.

I discovered two 'surprises'. The lumens on the 100 and 120 watt comparable ones are probably brighter than described. The lower lumens are close to, or even 'conservative' on brightness.

Second discovery. When cold, they start after a 2 second or so delay, and come on very dim, rising to full luminescence after a minute or so.

The only other consideration would be waterproofing; they are not rated 'outdoor' unless specifically stated. Some of the larger flood-looking ones have base up or down restrictions, and some seem to run fairly warm, not the bulb part, but the transformer / starter part. Check bulb dimensions carefully if going into an enclosure. The CFL's are sometimes longer, especially the larger 'flood' types.

My electrical consumption is noticibly down. PG&E paid a fair share of the changeover costs, I'd say 15% or so.