Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Do CFL really save money? Comments please

I just went out and changed all the light bulbs which are used the most to CFL ( 60 W eq. ones) The power companies were offering a rebate, so it costs .99 per bulb.
I hope to compensate for the added power usage of the new hot tub I just installed.

Also, I notice that they take a while to get to full brightness. ( particularly the ones in the Garage)

What has your experiances been?

Even some county and state goverments are starting to subsidize CFL's so they are cheap, cheaper than standards.

Of course they save money, especially when they are 99 cents.

Like most fluorescents, they are sensitive to cold, but I have mine in porch lights, and they've never failed to start in 30 degree weather.

Greetings from Des Moines!

Yes, they really do save money, but unless you use a LOT of lights don't expect to see a huge 25% drop in your electricity bill. With all the comforts and modern gadgets we now have, your lights aren't likely one of the largest power draws in your house so decreasing lighting energy usage by a huge amount won't necessarily translate to a large drop in your bill. Even though you are in fact saving a lot of energy.

Offset the energy usage from your hot tub? No way, not even close. Is this an outdoor hot tub? I just googled some energy usage numbers for an average outdoor hot tub and did a quick calculation. You would need to have replaced 60+ of those light bulbs in the wattage you quoted, assuming each one burned for 4 hours a day. That's a LOT of lights, and probably way too large of an average burn time. (Think bathrooms, closets, garage, etc. Average time is probably way lower).

There's just no way.

What I really like about CFLs though is the fact that I don't have to change the bulbs nearly as often. There are some fixtures in my house which really go through light bulbs quickly for various reasons. Especially ceiling fans due to the vibration, those are the worst. Haven't had to change a single one in my fans yet, after about 3 years.

-core

Because they take a while to come up to full brightness, I don't put them in places where I tend to turn the light only only for a few seconds. I have them just about everywhere else.

My wife doesn't like them mostly because of the minor delay and partly because they don't seem to be as bright as they claim. She really dislikes them in the 3-way lamps.

I don't have a problem with them and if they save me $ on the light bill :cool: ..... not that I'd expect it to be a noticable difference.

I like them because I can satisfy tenants who say the 60 watt bulbs - the fixture calls for - are not bright enough, and I can put a 100 watt-equivelent 23-25 watt CFL in there and it is less hot in the globe than the 60 watt one was!