CFLs are OK with me

Via WaPo - Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquillity

"There is still a big hurdle in convincing Americans that lighting-purchase decisions make a big difference in individual electricity bills and collectively for the environment," said Wendy Reed, director of the federal government's Energy Star campaign, which labels products that save energy and has been working with retailers to market CFL bulbs.

"I have heard time and again that a husband goes out and puts the bulb into the house, thinking he is doing a good thing," Reed said. "Then, the CFL bulb is changed back out by the women. It seems that women are much more concerned with how things look. We are the nesters."

I found this article to be particularly interesting because in the past year we have been fazing out our incandescent bulbs and replacing them with CFLs. It was actually my husband's idea (I think) but I was never opposed to the idea. There are still a few places that we do not use them, simply because of the nature of the fixture. The CFL bulbs that we buy say that they cannot be used in fixtures with are totally enclosed and we have about 3 fixtures like that around our home. We did have a fourth in the kitchen, but we actually changed out the fixture so that we could use the CFLs there.

I guess I'm not the stereotypical woman in many ways. I've never been much of a decorator, and that could explain why the CFLs don't bother me. It bugs me a little that they don't work with the dimmer, but we really never used the dimmer that much anyway, so it is no great loss.