CFLs...What are those???

Ok, I was on my lunch break I decided to stop by my local Home Depot - the do it yourself mega store of all mega stores to pickup some items for my new-to-me condo. Of course being the nerd that I am I checked to see what energy saving lightbulbs they had on hand.

Did I tell you my electricity bill was only $20 last month?!?!? BTW, I live in Cali.

So anyway as I'm standing there, probably looking clueless, at the huge wall of pretty spirally light bulbs, when a nice older man that worked for Home Depot asked me if I needed help. Well I explain to him that I want to reduce my bill (what?? You say I can't get lower than $20..puhlease). He tells me that I'm looking at the right thing...CFLs. Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs are the latest and greatest new technology of today when it comes to lightbulbs. The label states that this light bulb can save me over $45 a year...my mind starts racing, thats $3.75 a month, I'm down to $16.75 for my electricity bill, I better break for the door like O.J. As I turn on my heels, my new found friend must have seen the sparkle in my eye. He explains to me that the savings is 12 cents per kilowatt hour, for a 3 hour use, per day. I'm no mathematician, but this still sounds like a great way to save plus they're guaranteed for NINE years. Woo hoo!!! No more replacing light bulbs.

Sounds Great Right?? Sorry guys there is a down side.

My friend tells me that if I need one for a dimmable or three way light fixture, I won't be able to get it. Well that sucks! Also, in comparison to the $.75 old school (incandescent) bulbs these suckers are about $1.74 a piece. If you break one on your floor, you must clean the area and dispose of the trash properly. No more regular household waste....What??? (We'll discuss proper cleanup at a later date). So there are some tradeoffs for this nifty new gadget.

Special Note: Ace Hardware carries the dimmable and three-way CFLs.

So go out and replace all of your lights and I mean ALL of them with CFLs. Not convinced on CFLs, check out the LEDs. They are great alternative. Over a period of time you will see a difference in your pocket.