KingRat wrote:Will banning the sale of old style 100 Watt bulbs really save our planet?
Exceedingly unlikely!
KingRat wrote:Have the new style bulbs been proved safe?
Ah! You've obviously been taking notice of the rumour-mongers who've sprung up to terrify us with horror stories about what these CFLs (Compact Fluoresent Lamps) contain! Have you never seen a fluorescent tube before? They've been around for about 70 years and use exactly the same technology as the modern compact devices. As far as safety is concerned, I would suggest that it is
much easier to smash a 5' tube, whether in or out of service, than one of these miniscule ones!
KingRat wrote:I'm yet to be convinced about the new style light bulbs - they give me headaches, they are not as bright, the lights flicker and they take too long to warm up!
Some of the earlier ones - particularly cheap ones of indeterminate origin - were prone to the problems you describe but modern CFLs from reputable sources perform very well. The warm-up time you mention was a particular disadvantage at one time and I refused to fit them in places, such as stairways, where the delay could be a safety hazard in an emergency. That time is long gone and all my CFLs now produce instant light.
Regarding brightness, it's important to replace like with like - many CFLs equate only to 60W (or even 40W) incandescent bulbs - they are obviously not going to be suitable replacements for 100W bulbs!
Also, due to the long lifetime of CFLs, you could be using (and even have a stock of) earlier, worse performing, lamps.
Presumably you are not a stranger to fluorescent lighting and don't suffer any problems with it - if so, you didn't mention it! If you use modern, good quality, CFLs, you shouldn't have any problems.
