I hate CFLs. They're all hype and no substance. Their light is harsh and thin, they cost too much and don't save a meaningful amount of money on your electric bill, they're actually worse for the environment than incandescents...
Says you.
Want to see the fictional change in my electric bill before and after switching over to CFLs? Want to see the non-meaningful amount of money in my savings account from that lower utility bill? You might have extra money coming out of your posterior orifice, but I don't.
CFLs also generate less heat than incandescents, and the ones in my living spaces are all selected for warm color temperatures. They do offer that selection these days, you know. I even have a warm white 3-way CFL bulb for one of my big living room fixtures.
The ones in the vaulted ceiling of my kitchen have yet to need changing, I understand they've been there for about 5 years so far. That's great, because I hate changing those particular bulbs out.
4 milligrams of mercury per CFL fixture. Wow. How many milligrams of mercury in that can of tuna you ate earlier? As if county and city municipalities don't already have programs in place to properly dispose of your used fluorescent tubes, car batteries, antifreeze, engine oil, ex-wives, refrigerators, appliances, paint, tires, etc. The last three communities I lived in had those services. Maybe Podunk doesn't yet, but it will, trust me - landfill space is a finite resource. We even have a swap board to keep stuff out of the landfill and recycle it for good use:
www.madisonstuffexchange.com Mandating a ban on incandescents is not a Good Thing, that I agree. Folks with more money than brains will want to fan themselves with their kilowatt meters 'till the cows come home, and that's entirely their prerogative. I keep a few incandescents in certain locations because it gets down to -20 or worse here in the winter, so the garage, front porch, and back deck lights stay with the old
convert power to heat and light via glowing filament route. But I am quite happy with my savings in heat, longevity, and power consumption. Unless you're calling Mike, Bogie, myself, and others liars...