When I mentioned to a friend that my husband and I had decided not to buy any more incandescent lightbulbs, they complained about the long warm-up time for fluorescents.

Not any more. If you are still shopping for fluorescent lightbulbs at the supermarket or drugstore, your eyes will light up when you check out the dozens of choices at a specialized lighting store. There are bulbs of all sizes and shapes for most types of fixtures.

Besides the traditional tube fluorescents in many different sizes, both linear and circular, there are the familiar squiggly compact fluorescents. Newer choices include fluorescents that have the same size and look as incandescent bulbs. Others have the torpedo shape and candelabra base used in popular hanging fixtures.

There are warm white, daylight, full spectrum, and cool white colors, as well as yellow fluorescent bug lights and even fluorescent black lights for glow-in-the-dark-applications. Also new are 3-way fluorescent bulbs, indoor and outdoor flood lights, and even dimmable fluorescents. I counted six different manufacturers.

All use considerably less energy for the same amount of light provided by incandescent bulbs. The Sierra Club notes that if every American household changed 5 lightbulbs to compact fluorescents, global warming emissions would be cut by ONE TRILLION pounds/year. That's the equivalent of eliminating carbon emissions from 8 million cars.

Fluorescents are not without problems, however. Because they contain mercury, they should not be tossed in the trash, but must be discarded properly with other hazardous waste such as batteries. Interestingly, fluorescent bulbs may actually keep mercury out of the environment even though they contain about 4mg of mercury. That's because the most common fuel used in the U.S. to produce energy is coal. Since fluorescents use about 75% less energy than incandescents and last 6 to 8 times longer, their use releases less mercury than the 10mg of mercury emitted when producing the energy needed for an incandescent bulb.

Additionally, the lighting specialty clerk said that some people are especially sensitive to the pulsing of fluorescents. Some report getting headaches from certain colors.

If you are just starting to convert to fluorescents, you might want to try one or two lights first. A good choice might be to replace bulbs that you tend to leave on for long periods such as porch lights. I have not experienced any problems with fluorescents. One advantage is that fluorescents don't get hot enough to burn someone. My husband bumped his hand into a light over a power tool and burned himself. Now with the fluorescent bulb, the work light is no longer a danger.

Australia has recently announced that it will phase out incandescent lightbulbs by 2010. All in all, it seems a relatively painless and inexpensive way to save energy. That means more money in your wallet and fewer carbon emissions for the planet.

What a brilliant idea!

—Debbie Bulger

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