r2i forum

Back home in India we used to have tubelights in every room in our house. Here, they call the tubelights - shoplite. I really miss that ambience. Here, people typically do not use shoplites at home. What kind of lightings do you have at your homes? Does anyone have shoplites in front hall?

I thought they were called fluorescent light. Anyhow I got energy saving fluorescent light bulbs from walmart. They are expensive comparatively. They give white lights. You can also get 'tubelights" along with holders, but it looks awkward. I got tired of white light, as it is too harsh on eyes. Yellow light is much better on eyes.

you get white light using these

CFL

I was going to suggest CFL. In order to have same ambiance as Indian homes, get recess lights and have dimmer ready CFL lights installed. Very few CFL support dimmer option, so check on package carefully.

I personally, am very well used/habituated with the "tubelights", so much to an extent that,
I never liked yellow/reddish colored light from those burning Incand. bulbs
and not even
those yellowish or half red / half white - fluorescents .

At present, I use, -
it's spiral shaped, bulb socket compitable, " cool while" and " day light" kind aa special and high priced
fluro. bulbs which are available at local walmart and other stores,
which gives complete white colored day - light
just like a high priced cool white - tubelight, or even better than that.

I installed those bulbs everywhere in my new house, since it's just one time expense and worth it.

Also try those LED light bulbs, ( which also comes in solar bulbs )
with so many mini bulbs together,
which also gives completely cool light, like the day light and uses extremely low watts ( a 3 watt LED will give close to 40 watts of bulb light. Woow ! )

Also in hall way, I installed those 'dimmer compitable Fluorescent bulbs' ( costs more at Lowes /HD ) , for which I could not find it available in cool white ,
so had to compromise with half yellow / half white light kind of ordinary 'fluorescent dimmable' bulbs.

Thanks to technology.

Thanks for your inputs. In my front hall there is a chandelier. I do not intend to use the chandelier always. There is no fixture to fix the CFL bulbs. I use the sofa in the front hall a lot to sit and read. I hate floor lamps because I feel why put a lamp stand on floor when you can hang the same. I am looking for a fixture in the wall or ceiling to provide good light.

I have the tubelight (shoplite?) in front room. Got it from Home Depot and I did not replace the lights from the last 5 years.

In USA, I used tubelights for long, ( w/ high quality of extra cool - blue-ish bulbs ) even in living rooms and
"cool white circlite" in kitchen for a long time, as I always hated yellowish /reddish light from Incande. bulbs

But now, with these bulbs, I can save
ruining the "look of living rooms which looked like a basement"
with this
cool white daylight kind of special spiral fluorescent bulbs, from sylvania as well as GE available now. -
A 20 watt spiral gives, light more than 60 Watts Incand. bulb, and also it comes with 8 years of warranty !
I just love those spirals !

I am too much peculiar about lighting and relate it directly with night time stress, headache, pleasure for Kid's homework startegy..etc.

About, 2 weeks ago, i bought this and was amazed of solar light capacity !
http://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pc-Solar-Utopia-High-Output-Spot-Light-Set-20X-Brighter-Techology/13425109

I put these outside daily ( cool alum construction - no plastic and corosion free ) during the day, bring it in, at night and many LEDs togetheerd inside the bulb
gives light of 80W+ of Incanden. for free.

In my living room, I have source of lights atleast from 7+ angles, of all diff. fluorescent lights of diff. wattage,
as per my mood and the work I am doing,..
and somehow I am just a big fan of lightings and always search for something new, interesting
for LEDs. Recently bought 3 solar lanterns with those LEDs and also mini Batteries (of 2 pack ) with LEDs for 2.97 at local Harbor Frieght.
Also have a mini solar panel and am working oin it.

Woooow !
....................

BTW, this weekend our utility company (SDGE) offered free energy efficient CFL bulbs in exchange for old filament bulbs at the local Home Depot. http://www.sdge.com/residential/lightingTurnIn.shtml

Subsidized CFL lights show up in Walmart, and Home Depot from time to time. They are priced as low as 49cents, and are gobbled up pretty fast. It is stocked in a corner far away from regularly priced CFL lamps. No need to stock up on CFL lamps, as they last a while.

Shop lites are for basements and Garages.

Here are a couple example of flourescent lights I have in my home. The family and Living rooms have a mix of incandescent and flourescent lamps (the screw on type that fit in an incandescent socket).
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