"Peter Taylor" wrote in message
.. .

I was once told that fluorescent tubes use the same amount of power during
start-up as they do in 45mins normal running time. In other words, in
power terms it's not worth switching on or off a fluorescent tube unless
it will be on/off for at least 45 minutes. Does this apply to CFL's too?
How much power do they consume before they're up to full output?

That would be by the same people that say you use more energy to heat a
house up in the morning than you do if you leave the heating on all night?

I suggest you learn some basic physics so you can ignore them.