GE and others Low energy bulbs

I bought 6 GE B22-BC (15W) from the local B&Q store about 2 years ago. Two failed within about 2-3 days and a third has also just failed (advertised life is 8 years). The rest have turned a green colour (as well as dropping slightly in output)! I have not seen any adverse comment regarding change in colour temperature of CFLs but what is the point of an extended life if there is a marked change in colour? Anyone else had the same problem?

Now not so expensive, cheap to run and good life expectancy.

Do not work at low temperatures. What can we now use for outside lighting in winter when these lamps fail to start.

Good idea but not thought out, the govornment want to look good but our climate is not all warm.

My home is now filled with these things apart from the bathroom where I want instant light not a dim glow that takes a couple of minutes to come to full strength.

Having said that, these bulbs DO save you a lot of money when you take into account their life expectancy as well as their lower wattage.

The first time I bought one was about 12 years ago, they'd just appeared on the market and I seem to remember paying about £13 for one of those little four prong thingies. Hardly cheap but amazingly, it only packed in last year ..!

They've come a long way, not only in terms of light .. gone are the days when all you got was a harsh cold white light, they now come in various "temperatures" and don't seem so out of place in lounge table lamps. There are various sizes, shapes and even colour ones available and at a fraction of the cost of the early days. Tesco sell them for around £2 depending on the fitment and as I type this have three for two offers on the go.

Back in 1995 when I bought my first energy saving bulb, the emphasis was on reducing your electricity bills, now of course, the buzz word is environment and we should all be doing our bit. Well, don't dismiss such simple everyday things as household bulbs. 9w energy saving is equivalent to the old 60w so if you think in terms of having seven days lighting for the old price of just one day .. multiply that by all the lamps you replace and add to it the fact that these bulbs keep going for several YEARS not months, then the savings are obvious to see.

Replacing my old fridge freezer with an environmentally friendly A+ one would probably reduce my electricity bills significantly. Old style fridge freezers are, after all, one of the most energy hungry item in your home but the thought of paying around £400 to save on bills is a little daunting to say the least. It would probably pay for itself in several years but its an expensive outlay. Energy saving bulbs on the other hand are cheap, highly efficient, cost effective and help the environment. There really is no excuse for not having them.