The BIG LIE.

Ron Evers

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After the introduction of the come-on-eventually dim watt bulbs (CFLs), I, like many, started to use them. In spite of the claims of long life, I became very suspicious that they lasted no longer than regular incandescent bulbs, based on personal experience. I started dating them with a fine point permanent marker @ the time of installation. One manufacturer sent me two $5 cash cards for Home Depot when I complained about early failure of their product. Now I have a Blue Planet 9 Watt that is claimed to last 8 years that failed in a year & four months (16 mo). The packaging, that I kept, has no information on how to contact the manufacturer, so I am unable to contact them by e-mail. These bulbs may save energy but @ the added cost & dubious life span, methinks we the consumers are being screwed with the complicity of government.

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Screwed

The Chairman of GE is a huge donor to the One, and Congress has declared incandescent bulbs illegal.

General Electric makes those CFLs in China, if that makes any difference to anybody.
The CFL bulbs contain mercury which is a hazardous material.

So they cost more than regular bulbs, and don't last any longer.

I had CFLs in my garage lights on a photocell, and when two went out at the same time, I mistakenly thought it was the photocell, so I replaced it. Turned out it was just two burned out bulbs of the hazardous material variety.
 
I switched my entire house over to LED bulbs. Large upfront cost but hopefully if they perform as claimed will one day pay for themselves. I guess I will have to wait and find out.
 
Unlike incandescents the lifespan is tied to a lot of different things, among them on/off cycles. LEDs are probably the right answer in the long term, but the various technologies are still being sorted out in terms of what can built - at scale - at what costs.
 
I agree the CFL's seem to burn out faster than expected. Have been replacing with LED as they burn out and the first to change out were a couple outdoor fixtures that are on every night, so far they are going strong.
 
Maybe, writing on them with sharpie made turned them rouge and caused them to fail.

Just kidding. That sucks though. I'd never even thought of that.
 
if they can find a way to make more money off you. They will.
 
I edited a spelling error & now I have a double post. ???

WEIRD how that can happen! I've been seeing that lately!

I switched my entire house over to LED bulbs. Large upfront cost but hopefully if they perform as claimed will one day pay for themselves. I guess I will have to wait and find out.

I just went to all-LED bulbs about a month ago. WOW!!! I am really,really enjoying the LED bulb experience. Like Ron, we tried some of the CFL bulbs a few years back...uggg...that's all I can say...uggg...
 
I went all phillips hue because I'm a tech nerd and I hate money, but man, yeah, they're a game changer.
 
I edited a spelling error & now I have a double post. ???

WEIRD how that can happen! I've been seeing that lately!

I switched my entire house over to LED bulbs. Large upfront cost but hopefully if they perform as claimed will one day pay for themselves. I guess I will have to wait and find out.

I just went to all-LED bulbs about a month ago. WOW!!! I am really,really enjoying the LED bulb experience. Like Ron, we tried some of the CFL bulbs a few years back...uggg...that's all I can say...uggg...

Not to mention the CFL's contain mercury. Really government? You outlaw 100W incandescent bulbs which were safe and last no less than CFLs and make us use a bulb with mercury?
 
I have been dealing with led lights for the past several months (I work for a power company). And while they are great lights, the technology is changing at a resiculous rate. So, there are still a lot of unknowns about them (like longevity) other than what they can try to recreate in a lab environment. Fortunately the price is continually dropping, because they can generate more lumins at a lower watt thus a smaller led. I am not saying that by installing leds through out your house will cut your power bill in half but it will help and you will see a quicker pay back by using them.
 
Are you sure you didn't just get a bad batch? I changed all mine to them about 5 years ago and haven't had to replace any yet.
 
What brand was it? I've had some success with Philips and Osram, the cheaper ones burn out quite quickly though. The name brands do cost quite a bit more though :apologetic:
 
I have been dealing with led lights for the past several months (I work for a power company). And while they are great lights, the technology is changing at a resiculous rate. So, there are still a lot of unknowns about them (like longevity) other than what they can try to recreate in a lab environment. Fortunately the price is continually dropping, because they can generate more lumins at a lower watt thus a smaller led. I am not saying that by installing leds through out your house will cut your power bill in half but it will help and you will see a quicker pay back by using them.
Biggest thing for me wasn't so much the energy savings as much as the ability to control the light temp by phone. Waking to blue light and having yellow light in the evenings before bed has made a noticeable difference in my sleep patterns and energy level.
 

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