New energy-saving lights at Home Depot

Of course they are sold everywhere but I have a HD near me.
I see these multipacks in red, blue or green packaging and am trying to figure out which one is good for what purpose.
I have a normal home with all kind of spaces: lobby, stairs, hallway, various rooms, porch, garage, basement, laundry, etc. I would like to replace every light I can by an energy-saver and would be grateful for any guidance about the different types, which is good for what.

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Use the "Soft White" "green pack" and keep the reciept as you get a 9 Year Warranty, I use 9 and 14w and my bill is 35% less

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HD sells multi packs in a variety of color variations. You need to concern yourself with the "equivalent" light output when choosing, and get ones that are as close to what you are used to with incandescent lamps. you may want to get a sample of each color variation to see which one is most pleasant to you

: HD sells multi packs in a variety of color variations. You need to concern : yourself with the "equivalent" light output when choosing, and get ones that : are as close to what you are used to with incandescent lamps. you may want : to get a sample of each color variation to see which one is most pleasant to : you
Thanks. I know about matching the light output. But I was under the impression that different "packaging colors" or "temperatures" are more suitable for different application.
Here are my needs:
Front lobby (white walls) Stairs (light walls, not much sunlight) Hallway (light walls, no sunlight)
Ceiling lights in living room, dining room, bedrooms, office (windows, white walls, carpeted, medium-good sunlight)
Various desk and floor lamps Bathrooms (white walls, no other light) Basement, storage, laundry (white walls, grey floor, messy) Outside porch (dark paint) Garage (rough brick walls, very messy!)
I may have forgotten something but that's most of it.

Ajanta wrote:
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Probably can't do it with CFLs, but the ladies appreciate the entire range of lights at the vanity. In my house, we have four 50-watt smallish spots, each one different. This helps the lady fine-tune her makeup for a variety of conditions.

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Personally I find all the Kelvin colors available in CF lamps objectionable, so for me, I try to find a color that I hate the least. YMMV

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If there are any incandescents, use 2700K. If the only/main light source is CFLs, 3500K has a good chance of looking better as long as you have enough light to amke things look "nice and bright".
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If you want the light to look nice and warm, use 2700K.
If you only want to maximize energy efficiency, use 5500K and use a wattage one step less than you otherwise would. But be prepared for the illumination to appear "stark" or "dreary" although adequate for seeing everything.
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If there will also be significant incandescent lighting present, use 2700K.
Otherwise, use 3500K provided you are producing enough light to make things appear nice and bright.
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Desk lamps that achieve lighting in the work area to a very bright extent at least that typical in offices, classrooms and brighter retail display areas are likely to do well with 5500K - although that color can clash with other lighting in the area.
3500K has little chance of going wrong with desk lamps.
Floor lamps should use either 3500K or 2700K. If the lighting level is higher and there is not much incandescent or 2700K light in the area to clash with, 3500K has a good chance of looking better. Otherwise use 2700K.
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If the lighting level is nice and bright, my favorite is definitely 3500K. If the lighting level is more like that of a living room with one or two floor lamps or a couple table lamps, use 2700K.
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5500K if you don't mind a stark to drearyish appearance. Otherwise go lower - 3500K if the lighting level is "nice and bright", 2700K if the lighting level is only moderate or low.
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Hard to make look nice and well-illuminated with any color. My experiecne suggests 5500K as better for more stimulation of night vision to see more. But if you want "warm glow" instead, get a "bug light" - there are now CFL "bug lights" - just don't expect a lot of illumination effectiveness over a wide area at night.
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If the lighting level will be on the low side, I expect 5500K to be "least-worst" despite being stark and likely "dreary". If you want any cheer, use enough wattage to get a half-decent amount of light and either 3500 or 2700 K. I would go with 3500K or probably slightly better still a mixture of 5500's and 2700's if the garage is unlikely to look good in any light but you want something "warmer" than 5500K.
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- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

: > : >: HD sells multi packs in a variety of color variations. You need to concern : >: yourself with the "equivalent" light output when choosing, and get ones : >: that : >: are as close to what you are used to with incandescent lamps. you may want : >: to get a sample of each color variation to see which one is most pleasant : >: to : >: you : > : >Thanks. I know about matching the light output. But I was under the : >impression that different "packaging colors" or "temperatures" are more : >suitable for different application. : > : >Here are my needs: : > : >Front lobby (white walls) : : If there are any incandescents, use 2700K. If the only/main light : source is CFLs, 3500K has a good chance of looking better as long as you : have enough light to amke things look "nice and bright". : : >Stairs (light walls, not much sunlight) : >Hallway (light walls, no sunlight) : : If you want the light to look nice and warm, use 2700K. : : If you only want to maximize energy efficiency, use 5500K and use a : wattage one step less than you otherwise would. But be prepared for the : illumination to appear "stark" or "dreary" although adequate for seeing : everything. : : >Ceiling lights in living room, dining room, bedrooms, office (windows, : >white walls, carpeted, medium-good sunlight) : : If there will also be significant incandescent lighting present, use : 2700K. : : Otherwise, use 3500K provided you are producing enough light to make : things appear nice and bright. : : >Various desk and floor lamps : : Desk lamps that achieve lighting in the work area to a very bright : extent at least that typical in offices, classrooms and brighter retail : display areas are likely to do well with 5500K - although that color can : clash with other lighting in the area. : : 3500K has little chance of going wrong with desk lamps. : : Floor lamps should use either 3500K or 2700K. If the lighting level is : higher and there is not much incandescent or 2700K light in the area to : clash with, 3500K has a good chance of looking better. Otherwise use : 2700K. : : >Bathrooms (white walls, no other light) : : If the lighting level is nice and bright, my favorite is definitely : 3500K. If the lighting level is more like that of a living room with one : or two floor lamps or a couple table lamps, use 2700K. : : >Basement, storage, laundry (white walls, grey floor, messy) : : 5500K if you don't mind a stark to drearyish appearance. Otherwise go : lower - 3500K if the lighting level is "nice and bright", 2700K if the : lighting level is only moderate or low. : : >Outside porch (dark paint) : : Hard to make look nice and well-illuminated with any color. My : experiecne suggests 5500K as better for more stimulation of night vision : to see more. But if you want "warm glow" instead, get a "bug light" - : there are now CFL "bug lights" - just don't expect a lot of illumination : effectiveness over a wide area at night. : : >Garage (rough brick walls, very messy!) : : If the lighting level will be on the low side, I expect 5500K to be : "least-worst" despite being stark and likely "dreary". : If you want any cheer, use enough wattage to get a half-decent amount of : light and either 3500 or 2700 K. I would go with 3500K or probably : slightly better still a mixture of 5500's and 2700's if the garage is : unlikely to look good in any light but you want something "warmer" than : 5500K.
Thanks for a great tutorial, just what I was looking for!

I don't think the package color has anything to do with the color of the lamps light output. However as you know the color of the light is important.
I have a couple of suggestions. In the master bath, I have eight lamps over a large double sink. I have four of those lamps standard and four florescent. The ones I am using are the large round lamps intended for that kind of application. I have every other lamp one or the other. When they are first turned on the florescents are a little slow coming up to full brightness, which is good since it means I don't get blinded, but in a couple of minutes they are brighter than the regular type. The mix of colors is also good as when the woman of the house is applying war paint, she is less likely to be surprised when she gets in a different type of light.
I do the same thing with the closet (dimmer at first and mix source keeps from making the colors look funny) The garage also gets mixed lamps as cold means the CF's will start a little too dim, yet if I am going to be there long (doing more than just getting in or out of the car, then they get brighter for doing work in the garage.
Learn the attributes of each kind and chose what you want to use or mix for each application.
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I've been using CF bulbs in every application in my house. One thing I've discovered is that the CF "spotlights" (i.e.: in track lights over my desk/computer; 4 luminars) seem to burn out VERRRRRRRRY quickly; as in 14-16 months. Maybe it's the heat retention of the enclosures, I dunno'.
-Zz

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Look for color temperature rating in degrees K.
As for Home Depot in red, green and blue packaging, that makes me think of N:Vision CFL products.
N:Vision products at Home Depot in green-theme packaging are 2700K ones, labelled "soft white". 2700K is the usual CFL color, approximating (whether or not well) the overall color of "typical incandescent light".
N:Vision propducts at Home Depot in red-theme packaging are 3500K ones, labelled "bright white". 3500K is a "whiter warm white", halogen-like but a bit whiter. This is my favorite color for CFLs in home use. BEWARE - this color can appear a bit "dreary gray" when the lighting level is on the low side. Where lighting level is "lowish average" or less for home use, 2700K has a good chance of appearing better.
N:Vision products at Home Depot in blue-theme packaging are 5500K ones, labelled "Daylight". This is an icy cold pure to slightly bluish (occaisionally very slightly greenish-bluish) white that can easily cause a "dreary gray effect" in home use. It can appear nice and crisp if used in desk lamps and the like. It can do well for outdoor illumination at night as long as the temperature is not unfavorable, since higher kelvin fluorescents have spectra richer in wavelengths that night vision is sensitive to. Do not confuse Sylvania's "Daylight" CFLs (available at Lowes) with other "Daylight" CFLs. Sylvania chose "Daylight" to be the color name for CFLs nominally of 3500K, which is a "whitish warm white". Everyone else's "Daylight" fluorescents and CFLs have color temp. usually nominally 5000-6500 K.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

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I see you got plenty of good information, but let me add a bit more. Don't be too quick to change all of your lights. If you have a bulb that gets just a few minutes of use a month, just leave it until the bulb burns out. I have on light in my basement that is rarely used and I don't recall ever changing the bulb. Potential energy savings are offset by the cost of the CF replacement.

: If you have a bulb that gets : just a few minutes of use a month, just leave it until the bulb burns out. : I have on light in my basement that is rarely used and I don't recall ever : changing the bulb. Potential energy savings are offset by the cost of the : CF replacement.
That's a great point and I'll certainly want to remember it. Obviously, some bulbs do get much more use than others. The external porch light is on 8-10 hours each night, storage room 10-15 minutes at most.
However, I am also wondering if there is a grey area: if some bulbs are getting used less because we know they are expensive to operate, if we would use them more if they were energy-saving? :) Not sure how many fall in that category, but I'll go over that point with my family.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
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Of course some people believe that reduced energy usage doesn't have to be about saving *me* money. Reduced energy usage is a positive thing on its own. If you save some money at the same time, great, but that does not have to be the only motivation.

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this is true but:
energy = money and money = energy
the extra energy needed to build the CFL lamp is reflected in its extra cost.
the extra energy needed to build a hybrid car is reflected in it's extra cost.
so if you are REALLY saving energy you WILL also be saving money.
and if you aren't able to save money with it...you probably aren't really saving any energy.
Mark

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Right, put that good incandescent bulb in the landfill and use the CF and all the manufacturing waste that went into it. You still need to use a bit of common sense.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
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Hi, Another way of saving energy is moving standard voltage to 220V all across.

Tony Hwang wrote:
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It seems universal that most people think going to 220V (240VAC) is going to save them a lot of money. The only way it will is if you are running a lot of equipment that draws 30 or more amps. And in that situation most high current devices are already on 240VAC (electric clothes dryer, electric range).
The losses from using 120VAC comes from the resistance in your wiring and all connections. If your wiring is half decent and you aren't running clothes dryers on 120VAC, 240VAC isn't going to help you more than a couple pennies a month, maybe a year.
Tony

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
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Right. But don't forget that the waste generated in the manufacture of the CFL (refining Mercury, copper smelting, etc.) takes place in China. We get the (almost) pristine result.

None of them puts out quite as much light as the bulb they claim to replace. So when you really need a good light you should consider a larger size. I have a 26 watt ("100 watt eqivalent") for the reading lamp by my chair.
At the other end of the scale, the smaller ones use so little power that you can consdider using them as "night lights" and just leave them on 24/7.
The problem for many applications is the SIZE! For many fixtures you have to buy the compact size CFL. But in any fixture, generaly go for the largest CFL than will fit.
Most of them start off at reduced brightness. Can be advantage (say, in a bathroom) but you have to accept it in any case.
We have them all over the house. EVERY interior lamp has been replaced by a CFL in our home.
There are a few places where you might want to use a more traditional flourescent lamp fixtures. See what's available and decide for yourself whether replacing the fixture with a flourescent fixture makes sense for you.