In article ,
Ajanta wrote:

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

: If you have a bulb that gets
: just a few minutes of use a month, just leave it until the bulb burns out.
: I have on light in my basement that is rarely used and I don't recall ever
: changing the bulb. Potential energy savings are offset by the cost of the
: CF replacement.

That's a great point and I'll certainly want to remember it. Obviously,
some bulbs do get much more use than others. The external porch light
is on 8-10 hours each night, storage room 10-15 minutes at most.

However, I am also wondering if there is a grey area: if some bulbs are
getting used less because we know they are expensive to operate, if we
would use them more if they were energy-saving? Not sure how many
fall in that category, but I'll go over that point with my family.

Along those lines, CF proponents are actually advocating that you leave
the lights on to avoid the drawbacks of the technology -- slow warm up,
and greatly shortened lifespan by turning them on and off. Just another
idiotic aspect of the whole concept. CFs are NIMH.