Calif. Discovers Fluorescent Lightbulbs Burning Out Faster Than Predicted

dailytech.com ^

[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.

[muawiyah]

Ever since 9/11 we'd been having difficulty with our incandescent bulbs being blown out by the frequent take offs and landings of jet fighters from nearby Fort Belvoir.

We eliminated that with CFLs ~ they take the punishment when those babies fire up their afterburners and go straight up.

I'll tell ya' there's nothing more thrilling than to be driving South on Backlick and seeing a fighter fly UNDER the powerlines! And then another, and another, and another!

[SeeSac]

They could have saved a lot of time and money if they had read my posting here a few years ago. I and several others said that the danmed bulbs burn out fast, with a pop and a spark, and can start a fire.

Thank goodness I didn't listen to you. I have saved hundreds of dollars since you posted a few years ago by using CFLs. And no, my house has not burned down.

[wbill]

how many people in our rural high-unemployment county are going to buy those I wonder

Yep, I've been waiting for the "Women, Children, Minorities Hardest Hit" headlines on that.

Frankly, if money is tight, why would you spend $9 on a light bulb when a perfectly acceptable alternative is 4 for a buck at the local dollar store?

[Cicero]

I’ve been using compact flourescents for about ten years. They’ve gradually gotten better over the years—smaller, and more energy saving.

No doubt 6.3 years is shorter than 9. Actually, incandescent bulb life is also shortened by turning them on and off.

But, whatever. I save huge amounts on my electric bill by using them. I look forward to switching over to LED lights at some point, but at the moment the color of the light they give is unacceptable, and the cost is much too high.

I don’t think anyone should be forced to switch over. If they can persuade people to switch, fine. I was persuaded because I like to save money, especially on monthly bills like electric.

[donhunt]

The thieves are breaking into empty houses to steal the copper which is like gold now.

Now they’ll break in to steal light bulbs.

[Zhang Fei]

If you were in California, the higher tier rates for most are more than $0.30 per kwhhr.

In that case, the economic rationale for adopting CFL's in CA is 3x as compelling. $16.625 of savings a year (more than covering the cost of a $5 CFL) on the basis of using a 26W CFL in place of a 100W incandescent for 2 hours a day. It's not a huge amount, but most people use more than 1 bulb in their homes, and most light bulbs are on for more than 2 hours a day. If you can stand the illumination provided by CFL's, it's a painless way to save a few hundred bucks a year on power costs.

[SeeSac]

And what are you supposed to do in Bathrooms, or with recessed lighting that's already a part of the house?

Get good quality bulbs or ones specifically designed for that use. We put regular CFLs in recessed lighting and they have lasted for years. Still too early to give statistics since none have burned out.

[wbill]

you would save electricity by leaving the light on all the time to keep from burning the bulb out sooner

I have one light that I never turn off (it's a nightlight in the kids' room. I use a small CFL for it. Works perfect, and the fact that it is a POS that has a fading light output is fine. I don't want a lot of light from it.

Otherwise? Yup, they likely think that you save electricity by burning it. Idiots all.

[Chuzzlewit]

never used 100 watt bulbs anyway.. I like the 25s, 7 watt bulbs, 40s... I like low light in various corners and a hidden light source.. nothing worse than a bare bulb...I’ve seen folks with 150 watts over their head... it’s awful.. I also love yellow bulbs.. the party type.. man those put out a nice glow.

I am stocking up as well.

[STONEWALLS]

“Frankly, if money is tight, why would you spend $9 on a light bulb when a perfectly acceptable alternative is 4 for a buck at the local dollar store?”

absolutely!...I think that it’s time to start hoarding bulbs while I can....the last U.S.light bulb factory recently shut down.

[MrB]

I believe I’ve seen you post on these threads often enough to be appointed as the local CFL apologist.

So - do you leave yours on all the time?
Or do you have some sort of power conditioner on your house to keep the voltage and frequency constant?

[musicman]

Have YOU Donated To FR Yet?
Less Than $6.5k To Go!!

[SZonian]

"Soon we'll be smuggling 100W bulbs from neighboring states or Mexico."

Don't be surprised if Nevada institutes proof of residency checks on purchasers of bulbs like they do with firearms.

[I know red herring, just an example.]

[3niner]

The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off,...

The solution, of course, is to leave them on, which more than eliminates any energy savings. It's just like "low flush" toilets that have to be flushed multiple times per use, government "solutions" are almost always worse than the problems they solve.

[Revel]

Tell me something the rest of us already knew. They don’t last 6.3 years either. And sometimes when they fail they fail in a hazardous way. There are photos out there of ones that caught fire. I had one where a hole actually burned through the glass(The bulb was still intact)- releasing all the gases inside from my bathroom ceiling. On my toothbrushes and all.

If you are going to buy these then buy the ones that have the plastic casing around the whole bulb.

[muawiyah]

The way the CFL stop lights are configured you usually have 42 or more individual "bulbettes" placed inside a space where you'd earlier have placed a single bulb.

Sure, you can have several of those little bulbs burn out, but the light, in the aggregate, still works for hundreds of thousands of hours.

That whacks the heck out of replacement costs.

[hinckley buzzard]

Really. Kvetching about CFLs makes us look like troglodytes. The bulbs are fine, just different, and probably do (or soon will) save measurable money vis a vis incandescents. The mercury business is a phoney issue. Pay it no mind.

What we should be concentrating on is the fight against a gubmint that thinks it is in a position to tell us which light bulb we are allowed to buy. This is the real issue.

[Hoffer Rand]

, and the fact that CFL bulbs were often put in disadvantageous locations like bathrooms or recessed lighting.

You also can't use them in ceiling fans, because of the vibration. Knocks their life down to under a year.

[Lancey Howard]

A multi-million dollar program by the state designed to evaluate the actual results..

It's just California again (yawn).