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Calif. Discovers Fluorescent Lightbulbs Burning Out Faster Than Predicted
dailytech.com ^

Posted on 01/25/2011 1:42:00 PM PST by Sub-Driver

Calif. Discovers Fluorescent Lightbulbs Burning Out Faster Than Predicted

State government concludes that it will not realize the savings it expected

It was all flowers and roses when the state of California launched its $548M USD program to help promote consumer use of compact fluorescent lamps. Manufacturers and utilities were onboard because they received bonus pay to enact rebate programs. Citizens were happy as they received cheap CFL bulbs, which promised to save them money on power expenses. And the politicians were happy, as they looked sufficiently "green" to satisfy the eco-minded voters.

Now that utopian vision of futuristic lighting has dissolved into rancor and disappointment. A multi-million dollar program by the state designed to evaluate the actual results has concluded that energy savings were not as good as expected and that utilities were being over-rewarded for their performance.

At the heart of the problems is the fact that utility provider Pacific Gas & Electricity Corp (PG&E) has forced to cut estimates of CFL life average lifetimes from 9.3 years in 2006 to 6.3 years. The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off, and the fact that CFL bulbs were often put in disadvantageous locations like bathrooms or recessed lighting.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; cfl; compactfatal; curlyfry; energy; envirofascism; epa; frontpage; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; greenenergy; lightbulbs
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To: Sub-Driver

I’ve replaced a $12 CFL in my kitchen 3 x’s in the last year. That was after paying to have all the recessed kichen light fixtures ugraded from 30 yr old fixtures.

100W blubs are ILLEGAL to purchase or sell in California as of Jan 1st. My nearly-blind 89 yr old mother in law cannot legally purchase light bulbs of sufficient wattage to help her see what little is possible but, gawd forbid a parent buy their kid a happy meal in S.F.....


21 posted on 01/25/2011 1:51:44 PM PST by TMD
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To: Sub-Driver

>>>The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off, and the fact that CFL bulbs were often put in disadvantageous locations like bathrooms or recessed lighting.<<<

That makes sense, if the citizens would simply never turn their CFL bulbs on, they would last forever.


22 posted on 01/25/2011 1:52:25 PM PST by Above My Pay Grade
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To: Sub-Driver

Fire is good enough for me. Computers and cell phones have their own lights anyway.


23 posted on 01/25/2011 1:53:58 PM PST by Eyes Unclouded ("The word bipartisan means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out." -George Carlin)
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To: taillightchaser
"WE JUST BOUGHT OUT THE ENTIRE SUPPLY OF 100, 150 AND 200 WATT BULBS AT OUR LOCAL HOME DEPOT BEFORE THE INSANITY COMES TO ARIZONA. GOING TO LOWES NEXT TO GET THEIRS."

I've been stockpiling them for years. Also been storing up on oil lamps, lanters and oil for when they start rationing the electricity.

24 posted on 01/25/2011 1:53:58 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Sub-Driver

I’m SHOCKED——SHOCKED, I TELL YOU. Why am I shocked? That anyone ever bought into this crap. These bulbs are killed by frequent on/off/on/off usage and everyone with a brain KNEW IT. Cutting expected life prediction by 1/3 raises the cost by 1/3. Did they really expect people to NOT use these CURLY FRIES in bathrooms, closets, hallways, stair rises?


25 posted on 01/25/2011 1:54:25 PM PST by CaptainAmiigaf ( NY Times: We print the news as it fits our views.)
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To: ßuddaßudd

[ Roll out the affordable LEDs already ! ]

The LED Accent bulbs they sell work great as appliance light bulb replacements, they work in very cold environments. I have had to replace the bulb in my freezer many times, until I replaced them with an LED bulb, still working months later... Plus it doesn’t add as much heat back into the system and are non-toxic so they are better in refrigerator/freezer than CFLs.

They really work great at appliance replacements bulbs.


26 posted on 01/25/2011 1:54:45 PM PST by GraceG
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To: Above My Pay Grade

They shaped those bulbs like that for a reason and message.


27 posted on 01/25/2011 1:54:45 PM PST by Always Independent
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To: kittymyrib

Who pays when the lawsuites start over all the mercury in these bulbs?


28 posted on 01/25/2011 1:55:39 PM PST by Kartographer (".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
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To: Above My Pay Grade

indeed, they’d last probably almost as long as promised if they were never turned on.

The other way to get longer life out of them is to leave them on all the time. But what kind of dummass liberal would think you would save electricity by leaving the light on all the time to keep from burning the bulb out sooner?


29 posted on 01/25/2011 1:56:02 PM PST by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: TMD

Hunt you a supplier that sells bubls to hospitals, etc. and buy your extended life incandescents from them. More expensive but still available


30 posted on 01/25/2011 1:56:07 PM PST by deport
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To: Sub-Driver
has forced to cut estimates of CFL life average lifetimes from 9.3 years in 2006 to 6.3 years.

Years???. HA!

That durability has not been my experience. Yes, they last longer than incandescents. But not nearly that much longer.

31 posted on 01/25/2011 1:56:32 PM PST by Lee N. Field (Dispensational exegesis not supported by an a-, post- or historic pre-mil scholar will be ignored.)
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To: Puppage
Open a window, do ... vacuum ...

My father was telling me this. I pointed out to him that his central vac exhausts outside

32 posted on 01/25/2011 1:59:39 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: Sub-Driver

>> The shorter-than-expected lifetime was due largely to people turning CFL lights on and off

So to benefit from CFL, you need to leave the lights on...


33 posted on 01/25/2011 2:00:00 PM PST by Gene Eric (Your Hope has been redistributed. Here's your Change.)
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To: Joe 6-pack

You can get incandescent light bulbs rated for 25,000 hours that are used by the hospitality industry. If you use them for an average of 7 hours a day they’ll burn out in just a little under 10 years and cost about a buck or less per bulb depending on how many you buy.

https://www.nathosp.com/product/25k19_c/standard_incandescent_light_bulbs

Once you stock up all you’ll have to do is watch out for the light bulb police who’ll be monitoring everyone who might be using those unauthorized, evil incandescents!


34 posted on 01/25/2011 2:00:57 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: Sub-Driver

CREE LED bulbs.


35 posted on 01/25/2011 2:00:57 PM PST by BereanBrain
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To: CaptainAmiigaf
Cutting expected life prediction by 1/3 raises the cost by 1/3.

That means that you will spend $4 over 9 years instead of $3 per bulb. That gets you more than $150 savings in electricity. Still a good deal.

36 posted on 01/25/2011 2:02:32 PM PST by SeeSac
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To: Sub-Driver

Once upon a time, I got a package of CFLs at Sam’s Club. They barely lasted six months.

The next time, I got three CFLs from Menards with 8 year warranties, and I kept the receipt and original packaging (which has the UPC). They last, on average, about 9 months. They burn out, I take them back with the receipt and packaging and get a new one. a PITA, to be sure, but at least I’m not completely screwed.


37 posted on 01/25/2011 2:02:53 PM PST by Monitor ("The urge to save humanity is almost always a false-front for the urge to rule it." - H. L. Mencken)
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To: CaptainAmiigaf

>> Did they really expect people to NOT use these CURLY FRIES in bathrooms, closets, hallways, stair rises?

Facts are irrelevant to fascists.


38 posted on 01/25/2011 2:03:01 PM PST by Gene Eric (Your Hope has been redistributed. Here's your Change.)
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To: Sub-Driver

I’ve been in the same house for 23 years. I still have the ORIGINAL incandescent bulbs in the hallway, and 6 over-sized bulbs surviving in the bathrooms that get turned on and off for hours a day!

I wouldn’t feel so bad, if I just wasn’t contributing to global warming!

YEAH RIGHT... Take your global-saving, long-lasting fluorescent bulbs and light up the area where the sun don’t shine!


39 posted on 01/25/2011 2:03:15 PM PST by RogerWilko
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To: deport

I did order a case from an on-line merchant. They were only able to sell Philips across state lines.....shipping GEs to California was forbidden......Thomas Edison would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that lightbulbs would be a “controlled” substance.....face palm


40 posted on 01/25/2011 2:03:35 PM PST by TMD
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