I have a collection of burnt out CFLs waiting for suitable e-waste
collection. The ones in the master bath made it about 18 months. I've
gone back to light bulbs again.
It is well known that the lifetime of fluorescent lights is related to
how often they are turned on and off. I worked in a old office
building where there were no light switches for the fluorescent lights
in order to maximize the life of the bulbs.
I recently examined my pile of dead CFLs. All failed due to open
heater filaments, and not all had much runtime, so it seems repeated
thermal shocks are a primary cause of failures.
That said, one of these lamps served in my main bathroom for many
years--five or six?--cycling many times a day, and another survived
similar high-cycling duty for a similar span.
I have one FL that lasted for years. It was a very low wattage one I
left on over the sink. After Kenny Boy Lay screwed California, I
started to switch it on and off and yeah, it croaked.
I lay that on the lawmakers' boneheaded "de"-regulation: outlawing
long-term supply agreements, forcing generators to buy daily at the
spot-market, and, further, requiring them to buy energy at market
price, but sell at a fixed price. The one makes the system unstable,
the other insulates consumers from the real cost of energy, and so
stems pressure / awareness / desire to conserve. That's "de"-
regulation? Sheesh.
Kenny took advantage of it, but the legislators made it possible.
Best,
James Arthur
