My wife went crazy and put those things throughout the house. They’re supposed to last 5 years but in reality they’ve been going out after about a year. The cost benefit ratio is negative with that kind of failure rate but if Obama keeps his promise to push energy costs through the roof that may change.
I’ve found they last no longer than the incandescents. I had one catch on fire one night ... it filled the house with caustic fumes. I had everyone go out in the back yard for about half an hour. It really burned the lungs. Darned thing just burst into flames while we were at the supper table.
I have a lot of them in my house and my office. The only ones I’ve ever had burn out are ones I put in enclosed fixtures. Most of them aren’t made for that, or for recessed lighting. They don’t put off much heat but it doesn’t take much heat to fry the average compact fluorescent. Some handle it better than others. I have several that have worked out fine in enclosed fixtures and those I haven’t put in enclosed fixtures have lasted years.
Proper disposal almost requires a HASMAT team, and it you break one, the house has to be "evacuated?" How do the greenies get away with endorsing this crap?!
I got mine for peanuts. They save a ton of electricity.
But this whole argument is really moot. In my new house in Kentucky it will be rife with embedded LED lighting.
There will probably not be a fluorescent or incandescent on the property. I’ll be able to control not only intensity, but color temperature and color period. And at a fraction of the power useage of even fluorescents.
LED is to fluorescent what fluorescent is to incandescent.
Times ten.
We’ve been using these for years all around the house (usage spread as light quality improved) and I’ve had to replace, maybe, three.
Buy the better ones. If you are constantly turning them on and off they won't last as long. I have several that are years old.
The problem is that they will last a very long time IF you turn them on and keep them on. However, the more often you power cycle them, the shorter their life span. And there are some applications where they are completely wrong... For instance inside appliances, like ovens and refrigerators.
Mark
I haven’t replaced any of them in 16 months. Got them for a $1 a piece. Save about $25 a month. Total payback time: 2 months, not counting the savings by not having to replace them very often.