"Any thoughts on a cheaper way" Check out the ARO ballasts at www.hellolights.com Also look for Fulham's Workhorse ballasts. I think the prices on those has gone up over the last couple of years though. However, you can usually find them locally.

To clarify: So far I've only found battery operated LED lights identified as suitable for use within a foot of a closet "storage space". If anyone knows of a line voltage version please let me know. 2008 NEC: 410.16 Luminaires in Clothes Closets. (A) Luminaire Types Permitted. Listed luminaires of the following types shall be permitted to be installed in a closet: -(1) A surface-mounted or recessed incandescent luminaire with a completely enclosed lamp -(2) A surface-mounted or recessed fluorescent luminaire -(3) Surface-mounted fluorescent or LED luminaires identified as suitable for installation within the storage area (B) Luminaire Types Not Permitted. Incandescent luminaires with open or partially enclosed lamps and pendant luminaires or lampholders shall not be permitted. (C) Location. The minimum clearance between luminaires installed in clothes closets and the nearest point of a storage space shall be as follows: -(1) 300 mm (12 in.) for surface-mounted incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source installed on the wall above the door or on the ceiling -(2) 150 mm (6 in.) for surface-mounted fluorescent luminaires installed on the wall above the door or on the ceiling -(3) 150 mm (6 in.) for recessed incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source installed in the wall or the ceiling -(4) 150 mm (6 in.) for recessed fluorescent luminaires installed in the wall or the ceiling -(5) Surface-mounted fluorescent or LED luminaires shall be permitted to be installed within the storage space where identified for this use.

David, the law should have been written to encourage the purchase of the most efficient lighting, (IE they get the credit for now many watts the lights save, instead of the bassakwards law they wrote where you add up the watts of the non-incandescent lights you bought and gets a "Credit for that"----so that encourages people to buy those non-incandescants (at the highest wattage), so they can use an incandescent (as computed by our idiots)! If you live in Calif, there is NO WAY, you can miss all the windmills out here, and there are credits (US & Calif), I believe for purchasing Solar Power. Let me give you another example of why I call these "So Called Thinkers", idiots. My wife works for a huge company, with TONS of computers. Just about all the computers are still using Cathode Ray Tube Monitors (There not nearly as efficient as LCD Monitors). There is NO incentive for companies to update monitors (Government wise--Especially CAlif Govt). In fact , you are penalized if you update the monitor, first the sales tax, but worse than that is a law our "Idjusts" passed---The so called "Monitor Recycling Fee". If you are a business, in Calif, You have to "Guesstimate" the number of monitors you will buy in the calendar year. Then you pay a Fee based upon your number (of course they Keep an Eye on ya). This law was passed when (due to the Terminator), no new taxes would be passed in Calif---or at least it would be difficult "Political wise" So the Legislature came up with all kinds of "Fees", this being one of them. They kept coming up with new fees until the "Hammer Fell". Monitor's that are recycled, make money for the recycler so it had nothing to do with the disposal costs of old monitors! One of the many reasons the State is Broke, is because we duplicate so much of what the Fed Govt is already doing, and I for one, don't Appreciate Our Idiots "Granstanding" and passing laws that have the opposite effect of maximizing Energy Savings!!! Gary

No, regular CFLs cannot be used. The main reason is that the standard screw in base cannot be used, just in case you decide to switch to incandescent / halogen type lighting. If you're considering dimmable CFL pots, CREE LED lights are more cost effective.