In California, now that the new Title 24 code is in effect, I think that there will be a rush on the development of dimmable recessed fluorescents.

I am trying to get the manufacturers to sex-up the recessed fluorescent trims to help hide the fact that they are fluorescent. Juno Lighting is one of the manufacturers that listened and is getting UL listings for many of its incandescent trims to be used with its fluorescent housings.

Other companies making good-looking decorative fixtures with hardwire fluorescent sources include Boyd Lighting, Progress Lighting, Sea Gull Lighting, Estiluz, Artimede Lighting, Aamsco Lighting and Tresco Intl.—to name a few.

For the other states, Philips Lighting and Technical Consumer Products (among others) make a series of dimmable and non-dimmable CFLs, many of which look like their incandescent counterparts. These are a quick way to start cutting down on power consumption and help protect the earth’s resources.

The EPA has a program called “Change a Light, Change the World.” By changing five of the most frequently used fixtures in your home (or the bulbs in them) to Energy Star-qualified fluorescent products, an average household can save $60 a year in energy costs and prevent more than a trillion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. I feel less gassy already.