My “9-year” CFL light bulb lasted 13 months.

January 14, 2014 By: Coupon Maven7 Comments

My regular readers know that I despise CFL light bulbs. I have purchased some during past deals, but I decided earlier this year that I am done buying them.

In addition to the health and UV exposure risks, I have yet to have any of these bulbs last anywhere near the duration that they are “supposed” to last. To me, it feels like they don’t last much longer than a year or two. In 2012 I started dating the bottom of my CFL bulbs with a marker when I installed them, so I’d know how long these bulbs actually were lasting.

I have had a 26-watt GE Energy Smart bulb hanging in my laundry room in the basement, and I just went down, turned on the switch, and the bulb was dead. So I unscrewed the bulb to see how long this one lasted:

11/25/12. This bulb was installed not quite 14 months ago. It lasted a little over a year.

The box this bulb came in was on the shelf near it, as there are two more bulbs inside:

“9 year life.” Mmhmm.

Of course, any of these situations will reduced in “lowered performance”

Install it with the base of the bulb above the glass part of the bulb (check.)
Turning the bulb off and on with less than 15 minutes of “on” time (check.)
Using the bulb in an enclosed fixture (the only thing I didn’t do.)

We’ll see how long the next one lasts…

The best comment I’ve seen on the incandescent light bulb ban lately? “What a strange country we’ve become. Pot is legal, but light bulbs aren’t.” Ha!

UPDATE: Reader Todd sent over a link to another blogger’s take on CFLs. It’s a good read.

Comments

palatino says

January 14, 2014 at 5:07 pm

Those bulbs are garbage. People who say they save so much energy, well not if I am throwing them away a year after I buy them, and they cost more than a regular light bulb. Plus you can’t throw them away!

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mickeyd says

January 14, 2014 at 7:41 pm

And that’s exactly why I’m replacing all of my burned out CFL’s with regular light bulbs. I’ve been stocking up on light bulbs as well for just this reason.

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SouthernReverie says

January 15, 2014 at 12:04 pm

Ha! If you like your light bulb you can keep your light bulb! Period!

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J.R. says

January 15, 2014 at 6:27 pm

I think I’ve posted most of this before, but…

When they rate CFL bulbs, it is for continuous use. Turn it on, never turn it off, and they may last for a long time. Turn it on and off constantly, and they don’t last long at all. Run it at a reduced voltage (thank you Com Ed power sag) and it both shortens the life and reduces the light output.

Get one of those fancy Watt monitors, and you’ll find that when you turn on your CFL it draws more than the rated power. LOTS more. Even after 30 minutes or more, it’s still over its rating. I just read somewhere that it’s rated at what the bulb uses, and not what the electronics in the base use, but I haven’t verified that.

I’m most of the way through replacing every CFL in my house with LED. As soon as there are affordable 100W+ bulbs available, I can get rid of the last of them.

I also have a large stockpile of 100W and 60W frosted incandescent bulbs. Thanks Menards!

Anyone want a large box of “slightly used” CFLs?

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J.R. says

January 15, 2014 at 6:31 pm

Oh, yea, when I was at a home show and Com Ed had a booth promoting CFLs, I commented about the short life of CFLs, often worse than the incandescent bulbs they replace. They told me this was true for the bargain brands, and to look for the Energy Star logo to get the ones that would last longer. As Jill’s package clearly shows, that is obviously a bunch of male bovine excrement (can I use that language here?)

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Coupon Maven says

January 15, 2014 at 6:46 pm

Reader Carl just sent this over:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/15/republicans-are-trying-one-last-time-to-save-traditional-lightbulbs-it-likely-wont-work/?tid=hpModule_1728cf4a-8a79-11e2-98d9-3012c1cd8d1e

Congress is voting on a bill that will that would bar all funding for enforcement of the new lightbulb standards..! Our government at work – hee.

Here’s an excerpt:

Back in 2007, Democrats in Congress passed a bill to increase the energy efficiency of the most common types of lightbulbs in the United States. This was often referred to as a “ban” on incandescent bulbs since the law would effectively phase out the manufacture and import of those cheaper, old-fashioned incandescents by Jan. 1, 2014.

Now there’s a new twist. Congress is getting ready to vote on a $1.012 trillion spending bill for 2014 that would bar all funding for enforcement of the new lightbulb standards. That rider had been pushed by Republicans for years. Now they may finally get it passed.

The catch? It probably won’t make much practical difference to U.S. manufacturers, who have largely switched over to making newer, more efficient bulbs. But it could create a loophole for anyone who wants to import the old bulbs.

But it’s true that the traditional, cheaper incandescents that cost 50 cents a bulb are getting phased out, since they can’t meet the standard. As of Jan. 1, 2014, it is illegal to manufacture or import these bulbs. Stores can sell off their remaining stockpile. But, eventually, those old bulbs will be gone. Home Depot says it only has a supply that will last six months. (There have even been reports of bulb hoarding.)

The biggest lightbulb manufacturers — General Electric, Philips, Sylvania — also lobbied hard for the rules. As Andrew Rice reported for The New York Times Magazine in 2011, these companies had long lamented the fact that the cheap old incandescent bulbs weren’t very profitable to make. And Philips, in particular, had been investing in efficient new LEDs and fluorescents in response to tightening standards in California and abroad. Yet consumers in the rest of the United States didn’t seem very interested — unless, that is, there were regulations to force the transition.

So environmentalists and lightbulb manufacturers worked together on the new standards. Green groups liked the energy savings. And companies like Philips liked the fact that they were well-positioned to capitalize on the newly created market for efficient bulbs.

That’s why many Republicans still support repealing the regulations. “If the new energy-efficient light bulbs save money, and if they’re better for the environment, we should trust our constituents to make the choice on their own move toward these bulbs,” said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) last year. “Let the market decide.”

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flipper says

January 23, 2014 at 6:19 am

Hi Jill, Just curious if the CFL’s that you installed hang upside down? Judging by the picture you posted, it looks as though it might. If so, according to my “expert” (ha) husband, that knows a bit about lighting, says that by installing CLF’s upside down it shortens the life expectancy dramatically. I think there are “special” CFL’s that can be used for this application. Not sure about the one that “poofed” on you though. That sounds faulty to me.

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