Replies

No, clear propaganda.

The compact florescent bulbs do not last anything like 13 times as long, as stated on the website. I think they last about 2x as long, based on my observation. In terms of cost they might charitably be called a wash; in terms of quality of light they are a step back. Since I refuse to feel guilty for being a white, Western civilization-type, I wonder what the big deal is with this inferior technology. Guess I need reeducation. I’ll report to the rice paddies in the morning.

Not so fast. Let’s start with the time that you have a CFL on. Compact fluorescent bulbs are designed to be on for extended periods of time to meet their rated life — I’m talking 4 hours, continuously. If you only leave one on for an hour, the rated life drops by 20% and as much as 50%. If you cycle it on and off like most of us do in our homes, you’ve reduced the rated life by 70% – 85%! So, for the example the EPA uses in the graph above, an 8,000 hour CFL would now only last 1,200 hours. You’re now down in the range of many incandescent bulbs rated life.

We’re not done, though. CFLs function optimally in light fixtures designed for compact fluorescent bulbs. Not only will installing a CFL in a non-CFL rated fixture reduce the service life of the CFL (now we’d be getting down below the service life of those nasty, old incandescent bulbs), but the CFL bulb may not fit or produce the same lighting for the area. Additionally, most CFLs do not work in a dimmer fixture, unless the CFL is rated for dimmers and the fixture is designed for a dimmer CFL. How “environmental” will it be for homeowners to tear out and install new light fixtures?

http://therealtimjones.com/truth-compact-fluorescent-bulbs/

I save the purchase receipts and when the CFL fails I return to the store. The number of hours is on the box, and if the number of days time 24 hours is not greater then the life in hours on the box, I ask for a replacement!

I’ve got two CFL bulbs in an enclosed kitchen fixture that were put in in May 2008 and they are still going. That light is on a lot each day. No one realizes they are CFL since the color match with incandescent is good.

I don’t use them for all fixtures, but for this one they are doing fine.

"The compact florescent bulbs do not last anything like 13 times as long, as stated on the website. I think they last about 2x as long, based on my observation. In terms of cost they might charitably be called a wash; in terms of quality of light they are a step back"

Depends on what you buy. If you buy el-cheapo CFL's, they won't last 13X, but they certainly last more than 2X. And you can get CFL's with the same "color temperature" as incandescents, so "quality of light" isn't an issue. We've replaced pretty much all our incandescents, except in the wife's bathroom and our outdoor lights.

I experimented with the CF bulbs last year, and under regular use, they last about a year. The light they give off is poor quality, even those that claim to be equivalent to 60 or 100 watt incandescent bulbs. My opinion of them is that, as usual, they are an expensive fraud.

And just wait until we start hearing about all the mercury contamination in the landfills from thrown away CF bulbs in about 20 years. More Superfund galore!!!