How Long Do These Light Bulbs REALLY Last?
The standard light bulbs we buy in supermarkets are known as "incandescent" light bulbs. They are a technology from the year 1928! A 90% majority of the electricity the incandescent consumes produces HEAT and only 10% of electric makes light. They will last an expected life of 750 hours. If on 12 hours a day these bulbs will burnout in about 9 to 10 weeks. They are the most inefficient invention man has made. Some people say laws stopping the production of these bulbs are long overdue. If Thomas Edison was alive today, he would agree.
The 1970's brought gasoline shortages and higher energy bills. Around 1978 the Philips Corporation (Philco) in Europe introduced the first compact fluorescent bulb that offered tremendous savings on the electric bill. An 18 watt bulb that gave off 75 watts of light! Also this new energy saving bulb had an expected life of 10,000 hours. If on 12 hours a day they will last about 2 years and 4 months. If this bulb was left on 24 hours a day, (ie.: commercial security application), the lamp life doubled to 20,000 hours. The ten thousand hour lamp life was based on three turn-ons and three turn-offs a day because this reduced the lamp life of the bulb. The bulb shown on the left is the first energy saving bulb made in Lynn Massachusetts by Philips Lighting and sold in the United States. The year was 1982 and Lynn Mass. with a "Westinghouse" history was making the first energy saving bulb called the SL-18. The selling price for 5 years would be $24.95 and the savings on the electric bill gave an excellent Payback on your investment. The bulb later became to be know as the EARTH bulb in the late 1980's.
As the 1990s arrived, energy saving bulbs were being made better. Yes, better because they were now smaller to fit in more locations and some lasted up to 15,000 hours !
Then over the years corners started to be cut and everybody was making these bulbs. The cost to buy these bulbs was dropping like a rock, but lower prices isn't always a good thing. The bulbs would give off poor light color, they weren't as bright per watt, defective rates went way up, and the lamp life went way down. Instead of 15,000 hours, these cheaper bulbs will burnout in 8,000 or 6,000 hours. The new Long-Life Incandescent bulbs will last 2,000 hours, so 6,000 hours was a big disappointment from 15,000 hours.
Today, more choices are on the market. Soon LED and Cold Cathode bulbs will become readily available. The lamp life on Cold Cathode bulbs is 25,000 hours and longer for LEDs. So when shopping for energy saving bulbs, don't just look for the cheaper price. Below are the first 3 things to look for before buying:
1.) Light Level - What wattage is the new bulb equal to in old light bulb watts. A/K/A light output or Lumens. Very important to know that you are correctly replacing bulbs that give you necessary and save light levels.
2.) Lamp Life - How long will the new bulb last before burning out. Only accept less the 10,000 hours for energy saving bulbs with special "technical benefits", such as a 3 - way energy saving bulb, yes they exist!
3.) Features - Will the bulb meet your needs? Such as work on a Dimmer Switch, in the cold, or can it get wet.
