Posted on 01/25/2011 1:42:00 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Calif. Discovers Fluorescent Lightbulbs Burning Out Faster Than Predicted
State government concludes that it will not realize the savings it expected
It was all flowers and roses when the state of California launched its $548M USD program to help promote consumer use of compact fluorescent lamps. Manufacturers and utilities were onboard because they received bonus pay to enact rebate programs. Citizens were happy as they received cheap CFL bulbs, which promised to save them money on power expenses. And the politicians were happy, as they looked sufficiently "green" to satisfy the eco-minded voters.
Now that utopian vision of futuristic lighting has dissolved into rancor and disappointment. A multi-million dollar program by the state designed to evaluate the actual results has concluded that energy savings were not as good as expected and that utilities were being over-rewarded for their performance.
At the heart of the problems is the fact that utility provider Pacific Gas & Electricity Corp (PG&E) has forced to cut estimates of CFL life average lifetimes from 9.3 years in 2006 to 6.3 years. The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off, and the fact that CFL bulbs were often put in disadvantageous locations like bathrooms or recessed lighting.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...
I’ve replaced a $12 CFL in my kitchen 3 x’s in the last year. That was after paying to have all the recessed kichen light fixtures ugraded from 30 yr old fixtures.
100W blubs are ILLEGAL to purchase or sell in California as of Jan 1st. My nearly-blind 89 yr old mother in law cannot legally purchase light bulbs of sufficient wattage to help her see what little is possible but, gawd forbid a parent buy their kid a happy meal in S.F.....
>>>The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off, and the fact that CFL bulbs were often put in disadvantageous locations like bathrooms or recessed lighting.<<<
That makes sense, if the citizens would simply never turn their CFL bulbs on, they would last forever.
Fire is good enough for me. Computers and cell phones have their own lights anyway.
I've been stockpiling them for years. Also been storing up on oil lamps, lanters and oil for when they start rationing the electricity.
I’m SHOCKED——SHOCKED, I TELL YOU. Why am I shocked? That anyone ever bought into this crap. These bulbs are killed by frequent on/off/on/off usage and everyone with a brain KNEW IT. Cutting expected life prediction by 1/3 raises the cost by 1/3. Did they really expect people to NOT use these CURLY FRIES in bathrooms, closets, hallways, stair rises?
[ Roll out the affordable LEDs already ! ]
The LED Accent bulbs they sell work great as appliance light bulb replacements, they work in very cold environments. I have had to replace the bulb in my freezer many times, until I replaced them with an LED bulb, still working months later... Plus it doesn’t add as much heat back into the system and are non-toxic so they are better in refrigerator/freezer than CFLs.
They really work great at appliance replacements bulbs.
They shaped those bulbs like that for a reason and message.
Who pays when the lawsuites start over all the mercury in these bulbs?
indeed, they’d last probably almost as long as promised if they were never turned on.
The other way to get longer life out of them is to leave them on all the time. But what kind of dummass liberal would think you would save electricity by leaving the light on all the time to keep from burning the bulb out sooner?
Hunt you a supplier that sells bubls to hospitals, etc. and buy your extended life incandescents from them. More expensive but still available
has forced to cut estimates of CFL life average lifetimes from 9.3 years in 2006 to 6.3 years.
Years???. HA!
That durability has not been my experience. Yes, they last longer than incandescents. But not nearly that much longer.
My father was telling me this. I pointed out to him that his central vac exhausts outside
>> The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off
So to benefit from CFL, you need to leave the lights on...
You can get incandescent light bulbs rated for 25,000 hours that are used by the hospitality industry. If you use them for an average of 7 hours a day they’ll burn out in just a little under 10 years and cost about a buck or less per bulb depending on how many you buy.
https://www.nathosp.com/product/25k19_c/standard_incandescent_light_bulbs
Once you stock up all you’ll have to do is watch out for the light bulb police who’ll be monitoring everyone who might be using those unauthorized, evil incandescents!
CREE LED bulbs.
That means that you will spend $4 over 9 years instead of $3 per bulb. That gets you more than $150 savings in electricity. Still a good deal.
Once upon a time, I got a package of CFLs at Sam’s Club. They barely lasted six months.
The next time, I got three CFLs from Menards with 8 year warranties, and I kept the receipt and original packaging (which has the UPC). They last, on average, about 9 months. They burn out, I take them back with the receipt and packaging and get a new one. a PITA, to be sure, but at least I’m not completely screwed.
>> Did they really expect people to NOT use these CURLY FRIES in bathrooms, closets, hallways, stair rises?
Facts are irrelevant to fascists.
I’ve been in the same house for 23 years. I still have the ORIGINAL incandescent bulbs in the hallway, and 6 over-sized bulbs surviving in the bathrooms that get turned on and off for hours a day!
I wouldn’t feel so bad, if I just wasn’t contributing to global warming!
YEAH RIGHT... Take your global-saving, long-lasting fluorescent bulbs and light up the area where the sun don’t shine!
I did order a case from an on-line merchant. They were only able to sell Philips across state lines.....shipping GEs to California was forbidden......Thomas Edison would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that lightbulbs would be a “controlled” substance.....face palm
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