Every green suggestion list includes the swap out of regular old incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent lights (CFLs.) There are reasons that certain situations and locations that are currently not ideally served by these energy savers and there are a few drawbacks to using them. The bulbs, however, keep getting better and better and cheaper and cheaper and we better get accustomed to them anyway as incandescents are, by law, being phased out over the next few years.
Consumers Union recently tested a number of CFLs and reported on them in the October issue of ConsumerReports. Of the five bulbs that were the top picks two were Feit Ecobulb models, and there was one each of N:Vision, GE Long Life, and Great Value brands.
Consumer Reports picked the most expensive of the lights, the GE Long Life, model 41525 at $4.50 as the best. The magazine said that all nine of the GE bulbs in its test were still "shining brightly" after 10,300 hours.
All of the lights tested, ranging in price from $1.75 to the GE price point, burned at least 3,000 hours. The average life expectancy of an incandescent bulb is one-third that long.