On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:19:43 -0400, Rick wrote:



Is this whole Energy Star/CF bulb concept just bogus? If you have to
toss out even a $2.00 bulb every 18 months are you actually saving
anything at all when you compare the alleged energy savings to the cost
of frequent bulb replacements?


That's the problem. You're buying cheap $2 bulbs. Price isn't a sure
indicator of quality, but a $10-$15 name brand bulb will tend to last
much longer than a $2 off brand bulb. The more expensive GE and
Philips bulbs seem to last the longest. Those cheap bulbs also lose
light output much faster than good quality bulbs.

Also remember that 5 years is only an estimate based on an assumed
usage. Most of these bulbs seem to be rated for around 5,000 to
10,000 hours. 10,000 hours is only about 5 hours a day for 5 years.

You're still saving money when you consider that a regular 60W bulb
uses way more than $2 worth of electricity in its life.
Andy Cuffe