Energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs that can be screwed into conventional lamps and fixtures are sold by more and more home centers and hardware stores, sometimes at bargain sale prices.
I`ve been using a couple of the bulbs for weeks, and am delighted with the performance. Start-up is immediate, with none of the delays of some fluorescents, and there has been no humming or flickering.
An 18-watt fluorescent in a lamp gives considerably more light than a 50- watt conventional bulb and uses much less electricity. The bulbs also are said to last up to 10 times as long as conventional bulbs.
A couple of disadvantages of screw-in fluorescents: They can be used in three-way sockets, but the light won`t vary, and they cannot be used with dimmers.
In addition, the cost of the bulbs (about $13 to $25) is still high enough that it pays to put them only in places where they will be used frequently and for fairly long periods of time. For example, don`t install a $15 fluorescent where it will be used only a few hours a week, because the extra cost over a conventional bulb will probably never be returned by energy savings.
