Yesman, the compact fluorescents save quite a bit and give off plenty of light in ordinary fixtures. However, you can't put them on a dimmer, and I have dimmers on damn near every light.
I've been told they make dimmers for fluorescents, but they are expensive and use special bulbs. But I haven't investigated myself.
The compact fluorescents that are twisted up to look like a soft ice cream cone, work great in drop-lights for the garage or where ever you need one. I can attest to that. They seem to handle shocks better than bulbs with a filament.
