[bclarkcaldwell]

I just wanted to post this quickly. I started replacing my regular bulbs with those new spiraled energy efficient "green" bulbs 2 months ago. CVS carries them here in Michigan. They have a 4 pk. RTH brand for $9.99, and sometimes they go on sale Buy 1, get 50% off. I replaced 28 bulbs in my house in a 2 month span of time. Also, they are suppose to last up to 5 years.... My bill went from-

Nov.- $100.00
Dec.- $79.43
Jan.- $64.55

Since replacing these bulbs....I am elated! I plan to keep buying them! If anyone wants to see a significant drop in their elect. bill....try these! Totally worth the extra money up front...they pay for theirselves in the first month or 2......and they last for a LONG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a good way to save on your bill for sure....................

[klarsen117]

cool

[lilac48604]

Not sure where in MI you are, but Menards has them this week a 4 pack for $5. I've replaced all the bulbs in my house with them. The only exclusion is the bulbs over the vanity in the bathroom. They're great!!

[kimmyann123]

wow im also in michigan..and im buying the bulbs,my elec.is way to much!! thanks

[AprilMG]

I'm definetly going to try them!
How long do the bulbs last?

[tootsie roll]

Great job! My dh decided to do this a few years back, when they were a bit more expensive. We have been in our house for 5 years and there are some bulbs that still haven't burnt out yet! They are totally worth the extra cost. We have a pantry that has a light that comes on automatically when the door is open. It comes on 10 - 20 times a day and the bulb has only been replaced once.

[Nerthy]

You haven't changed anything else? Just the bulbs and it went down that much?

That is awesome!! Thank you for the tip! (I'll go check Menards)

[bclarkcaldwell]

Originally Posted by AprilMG

I'm definetly going to try them!
How long do the bulbs last?

Suppose to last up to 5 years!

[molina]

Originally Posted by bclarkcaldwell

Suppose to last up to 5 years!

Ours is almost 6 years now and they still working good. The lampshade been knocked off at the end table quit a few times, broke the switches and shade, but the bulb is still works good as new.

[poshpoodle]

How much have the rest of you saved - want to make sure it is worth the expense! We can always use extra money in our pockets- and with stacking at CVS will probably be worth it! But I would really like to hear how much the rest of you figure you have saved on your electric bills! TIA!

[cry24]

I have the EE bulbs in every indoor and outdoor socket at my house, they work great!! These definitely save money, they say per each bulb you will save about $45.00 on your electric bill ( meaning the longevity of the bulb)

[SoccerMama]

Thanks for the post. My parents have been after us to change ours. I have some "green" but need to completely get rid of the other ones, especially outdoors.

[staviles]

I agree, I replaced all the bulbs in our house about two years ago, and they are still going strong and I noticed a savings of about $78.00 on my bill. Went from $260.00 a month to $182.00 around there. Of course, in the midwest (MO) we pay outrageously high prices for electric and gas anyways, so every little bit of savings counts. HTH.

[cheap_geek]

We recently moved into a new house...and have been replacing bulbs with CF (either when the incandescent burn out, or I buy a new light/lamp ), and have been really happy. DH and I were wondering if you could use them outside, like in the dusk to dawn pole light and fixtures beside the front door. Has anyone had issues with outdoor use?

[collin_sam]

WOW, I never knew if these were really worth buying, guess I was wrong! I'm gonna go buy some now and see how much I can save!!

[caseyrusso]

I use those bulbs in every light I have. Menard's has big packs for cheaper than anywhere else I've seen. Buyer's Choice is a great brand, and I've used about 5 different ones.
My electric bill (I own a house) is usually only 14-20$.

[caseyrusso]

cheap geek, DON'T USE THEM OUTSIDE!! we tried, and they aren't meant for cold weather, so they just stop working. not worth wasting them, cause they do cost more than regular bulbs.

[winnross]

Originally Posted by AprilMG

I'm definetly going to try them!
How long do the bulbs last?

They are to last up to 5 years...
You can also purchase them at any hardware store, walmart, Pamida etc....we have them in our house too.....ans yes we have a great amount of savings from these
THEY ARE ALSO GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

[targetaddict]

We just replaced nearly all of our bulbs in our house with high efficiency/low wattage bulbs from IKEA this past weekend. I am going to be honest: it takes a few moments for them to "warm up". Right when I walk in a room and flip a switch I think, "Whoa. Was it brighter without the light?" Hmmm...but, I am learning to flip the switch a few moments before I plan to head into a room that I know I will be spending significant time in. After a few moments, the lighting is definitely much brighter than it was right when I turned it on but not quite as bright as our 60 watt bulbs. I hope that makes sense.

Why IKEA? because they carry round, more traditional looking bulbs for our fixtures that leave the bulb exposed. For those fixtures that cover the bulb we went with a spiral bulb.

I'll update after our next bill comes!! Wish us luck!

[Samantha85VA]

That is awesome, we are slowly replacing them here too

[cheap_geek]

caseyrusso...thanks so much for the heads up! I will not put any outside.

As for Winross's comment about "great for the environment"...DH and I aren't real sure...from the standpoint of less waste (since they only get changed once every 5 years), we'd agree. But we read various packages at Home Depot, and all said that they shouldn't be disposed of in the landfill, as they contain mercury. (Of course, it could be that they are still less harmful than incandescent...I don't know) I'm not sure how that will play out in the longrun... In the meantime, we're using them and are loving the savings. (Oh, and you do get used to the slight delay in them turning on.)

[bclarkcaldwell]

I have started buying them for my Mom as well.....

[bargainshopper]

My kitchen is way brighter now then it was, but it does take a few seconds to come on. I have to think did I really turn the light on? I am slowly changing out our bulbs as well!

[creekprinces]

Anyone know if you can use these in Lamps that have the 3 stage lighting? You know like low, med, high?

[targetaddict]

Originally Posted by creekprinces

Anyone know if you can use these in Lamps that have the 3 stage lighting? You know like low, med, high?

They work, but not the same. For us, our 3 stage lighting is on our bedside tables. Low is brighter than it was with regular bulbs, Medium is slightly brighter than the new Low, and High flickers which adds a whole new dimension. It's not exactly what we had in mind when choosing these lamps.

Read the packaging for new bulbs because I think it will tell you what you need to know.