Why can't those new GE environmentally friendly light bulbs work with a dimmer?

Question

You may know the one's I'm talking about. They look like a spring and supposedly use a lot less energy. It says on the bulb that you can't use them with a dimmer switch, why is that?

Answer 1

Some can, but of course they're more expensive.  That will change.

Answer 2

Dimmer switches work by varying the amount of current flowing through the filament of a light bulb.  The less current, the less the tungsten filament glows.

The bulbs you're talking about are CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Lights.  Fluorescent lights require a certain level of current to induce an electrical arc through the gas medium.  If you lower the amount of current, the bulb simply won't light up.