In message , Gareth
writes

On 15/10/2011 10:26, Jim S wrote:
What, exactly, is the situation regarding the phasing out of tungsten
lightbulbs?
All my main room lights are on dimmer switches so do I fill my spare
bedroom with bulbs for the future?

You may already be too late, or you could be lucky and get some very
cheap in the 99p Shop or the clearance sections of other shops.

You can now get halogen bulbs inside ordinary light bulbs. These work
with ordinary dimmers, they come on instantly and, in my opinion, they
give a much nicer light than CFLs. They are slightly more efficient
that the traditional light bulbs e.g. 42W replacing 60W (but nowhere
near as efficient as CFLs).

In that case it must either give out less light or less heat, and as
pointed out elsewhere the heat given off reduces the demand on the
heating system for most of the year., so they are only more efficient in
summer.
--
hugh