Thank you all for this discussion. I had no idea that so many people were 'allergic' to CFL lights, but it seems like the older ones are at fault.

Some years ago, following a kitchen remodel, my wife (for the moment) insisted on 150 Watt bulbs for our 6 ceiling lights. They blew out our 600 W dimmers in short order - the math is not that difficult to do to explain why THAT happened.

I switched to 65 watt 'miser' bulbs, and nobody noticed - I even stopped having to replace dimmers! Once it was over, she started using the 150 watt bulbs, with the inevitable dimmer blow-outs.

To the point, you don't have to be a tree hugger to try to eliminate waste. I manage a vacation property at Lake Tahoe. I was shocked - so to say - when the summer electricity bill was over $400 a month!

The highest cost - by far and away - is, as a rental, when the maintenance man has to come out and replace a bulb, he charges $25 for the trip! Plus the cost of the bulb!

I just came back after replacing about 20 bulbs with CFLs. When I go back in November, I plan on replacing 20 more. Soon, the electric dryer and cooktop will be toast as well, as I plan to replace them with gas!