Every bulb in my house is an energy saving one. We have no trouble with flickering, them being too dim, burning out or anything. I wonder sometimes if people know how to fit a light bulb!!!
Please remember, you can get energy saving bulbs, just like old fashioned bulbs, in different watt ratings. If it's too dim, get a brighter bulb.
They're not expensive. You can get them in shops in the UK for under a pound each (40p I've seen some for today). Mine were free from British Gas.
Instead of having a dimmer switch, we have a lamp,with an energy saving bulb (but it's only a 4watt so it's fairly dim)