Have you made the light switch?

You know, taken out the traditional version of Thomas Edison's neat invention and swapped in those squiggly looking lightbulbs in your home?

Courtesy of Philips (ENLARGE)

Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs take less energy, and therefore lower electrical bills, but many consumers find they are not bright enough.

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Lots of us are apparently choosing spiral bulbs, which use less energy than regular bulbs. The Environmental Protection Agency says spiral bulbs comprised 20 percent of the U.S. light bulb market in 2007, up from 11 percent a year earlier, USA Today reports.

With Congress mandating lightbulbs become 25 percent more energy efficient by 2012, they're bound to become more popular.

But they can cost around three times what a regular bulb costs, and some consumers say they just don't work as well -- putting off inadequate light or just casting an odd hue.

Local interior decorator Bill Murphy of Essary & Murphy (www.jessary.com) doesn't use spiral bulbs, saying "I like the warmer color of regular bulbs."

But his business partner Jim Essary likes than and uses them in lamps as well as recessed in ceilings.

Atlanta event planner Tony Conway of A Legendary Event sides with Murphy.

"Those compact fluorescent bulbs certainly do save energy but are not always flattering when dimmed," Conway said. "So for my events, I love just turning the lights out and lighting hundreds of candles."

(The green-friendly Conway likes Eco candles from Atlanta-based Paddywax, which feature soy wax and natural fragrance oils and are wrapped in a chlorine-free paper pulp box and hemp twine. www.paddywax.com.)

Do you have spiral bulbs in your house? Is their higher upfront cost and eerie glow offset by their energy efficiency?