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DGDevin

wrote:

The turn-on energy difference is miniscule, but each start removes
about 6 minutes (0.1 hours) from a CF's typical 6000 hour lifetime at
a typical $2 cost, vs a bulb's typical 750 hour lifetime at a typical
50 cent cost.

We went with CFLs a few years ago and have been somewhat disappointed in how
many we've had to replace far sooner than expected. I assume that poor
quality control at the factory could kill some bulbs with unusual speed, if
so we seem to have quite a run of back luck in that respect with different
designs from different companies, including a porch-light bulb that only
gets turned on and off once a day respectively. Still, we immediately
noticed a big drop in our electric bill, so the occasional
prematurely-expired CFL doesn't even begin to erode that.