[af_vet_rr]

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, Pacific Gas & Electric originally estimated the useful life of CFL bulbs at 9.4 years. But based on real-world results, the company was forced to lower its estimate to 6.3 years, meaning that it had overstated bulb life by 49 percent.

6.3 years? I'd be glad for half that. I don't think I've found a CFL yet that lasted 3 years.

[packrat35]

CFL’s last me 1-6 months. I only use them on 2 light fixtures that are higher up and harder to change. I can change the other bulbs once a month and still be cheaper than using CFL’s and the light is better.

[MediaMole]

I had a CFL that lasted more than three years — then it caught fire when the ballast failed.

Funny thing is that I like CFLs. I’m one of those people who wants light in the whole house when I’m home, so I do use low wattage CFLs around the house. ...but I won’t leave one on when I’m not home after two had ballast failures and burned.