Low energy lightbulbs and lampshades, have googled for ages and can't find an answer :(

[sillybillybee]

Over the past year I have been sent over 10 free low energy bulbs from various companies. My bedroom has a dimmer switch which is meant to be being swapped soon but the lampshade is a 40W max, can I put a low energy bulb with a higher equiv in there or not(e.g 11W bulb equiv to a 60W)? Now winters here the lights actually being used again and I could do with a brighter bulb.
TIA

The 40W max is so that the lampshade does not overheat - so you will be fine with an 11W low energy bulb. It will not get anywhere near as hot as a 40W incandescent bulb.

What Donk said

It is about the heat, not the brightness.

You can't use standard low energy bulbs with dimmer switches, so you shouldn't change the bulb until you have changed the switch.

You can now get special low energy lightbulbs that you use with dimmer switches, because as SaintGeorge says, the standard ones don't work.

I thought you could use the low energy bulbs with a dimmer switch, it just won't 'dim'? (so it'll be off until you've turned the switch up to full)

No you have to get the special ones.

If you use a standard low energy with a dimmer you will either blow the bulb after a short time, or at the very best find that the lifespan of the bulb is drastically reduced.

Might not matter so much if you are using up free bulbs, but a waste of time if you are paying the premium for low energy long life bulbs.

It is like causing a mini-power surge in the bulb.

Yes I meant I was going to wait until the switch is changed The dimmers only there because it was there when I moved in, have never actually used it on 'dim' so its probably worth while swapping and using low energy bulbs. Just didn't know if I was going to ruin my lampshade putting a higher rated bulb in. Thanks all

Learn something new everyday