In uk.d-i-y, Steve Walker wrote:
We use CFLs in our living-room wall lights, but can't in the centre lights
- the fittings have a clearance of only about 12mm from the top of a
standard candle bulb (the bulb has to be angled to get it in) and candle
CFLs are quite a bit longer. We do however mainly use just the wall lights,
but if we can no longer get bulbs for the centre lights, we will have to
spend hundreds of pounds replacing all the existing fittings - incidentally
losing a design that we particularly like.

Well, if it's offending your taste in living-room light fittings or
global catastrophe, it's obvious what's more important, innit? :-)

Seriously, though, it needn't be that bad. A few years ago, when CFLs
were a lot clunkier than they are today, I went round this (quite large)
house replacing every standard-fitting (BC or ES) bulb with a CFL. There
were about 50 bulbs in all. Out of that lot, four fittings (one of one
type and three of another, all wall lights) had to be replaced. Although
I found it objectionable at the time, I replaced the four fittings
(quite cheaply, as it turned out) because I Knew It Made Sense, and I've
never regretted it.

My guess is that a future phasing-out of incandescent lamps will start
with standard BS/ES fittings, where the vast bulk of the savings are to
be made, and the more esoteric types will follow quite some time later.

--
Mike Barnes