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February 12, 2009
Compact Florescent Light Bulbs - How long do yours last?
According to the US Government's Energy Star web site; Energy Star CFL (Compact Florescent Light) qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
I have been using CFLs for several years and so far I have not had one fail. But I was having lunch with a couple of friends last week and one said that he has had many CFLs fail after a relatively short period of time. He, and everybody else, purchased these bulbs because they saved energy and lasted a longer than conventional bulbs. I have seen some estimates that you can save up to $60 per bulb using CFLs. Even though they cost several times what an ordinary bulb costs, over the long term they should pay for themselves, many times over, if they last.
A couple of his bulb failures were when he used a CFL outdoors in an exposed fixture. He used ordinary CFLs, they are not designed to be used in an outdoor exposed fixture. Standard CFLs life can be reduced when exposed to the elements and cold weather. There are special CFLs that can be used in this application. But he has had a few failures when a CFL was used in a normal indoor lamp.
Have you had Compact Florescent Lights fail soon after installing them? (When a CFL quits working make sure that you dispose of them properly, they do have some hazardous materials in them, for more information on disposal, go here.)
Posted by Bob Gatton at February 12, 2009 8:19 AM
Comments
Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this topic,so thanks for blogging. I will definitely be subscribing to your blog. Keep up the good work
Posted by: How I Lost Thirty P�unds in Thirty Days at May 5, 2009 11:24 PM
I have been using CFL's, many years before they were popular, I have only 1 from that time still
To be fair the GE screwins with PL lamps have lasted long.I just replaced 2 60w 130 v with 2 cfl's & these are the ONLY ones which do not brighten up until a few mins, NEVER had this problem before, even same brand. Plantation Fl, 1 yearago DEC 07 I installed 4 3 way cfl's, 2 ceiling fixtures, equal 60w,went down Dec 08 my SIL says they ALL failed, this means a 100% failure. I replaced them again different brand, so I will seein 09 when we visit. So you can say I am really NOT pleased with their claims or failure rate. FYI I replaced a bulb in my shower stall, lasted 30 YEARS, I have a 175W Mercury vapour outdoor, still going since fixture installed 10/7/76, this I expect to take time to illuminate to max brilliance
Posted by: Leughton at June 23, 2009 7:42 PM
Great job Bob! I like to read your bloggs. I'm also a home technology fan and it is my primary business in south florida.
Speaking about energy savings I was wandering how much green home techenology was applied to the HGTV Green Home...
I would like to share some design ideas to make future green homes more eficient from surge protection and dimming lights to HVAC control and Energy Star rated devices.
Thanks for keeping everybody informed about home technology.
Posted by: Martin at July 8, 2009 11:38 PM
