Eco-Bulb Learning Center
Bulb Life Expectancy
Regardless of what kind of bulb you purchase (incandescents included), their life expectancy is measured the same way. The average life hours published on the package should represent the time at which 50% of bulbs are still functioning (or 50% have "burnt out" !). Some manufacturers publish the chart from their own testing while others submit their bulbs for Energy Star qualification. This is done by a third party company which specializes in testing bulbs. The
testing is actually pretty simple , they turn on the bulbs and then wait to see how many have "burnt out" at the specified time. They also check lumens output to make sure the bulbs haven't degraded substantially. In general , a bulb should have 70% of its original light output by the time its ready to close the curtain. Having said that , some people have bulbs that routinely "burn out" before their published life expectancy. Here are a few tips to help
along.
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Most CFL's aren't designed to be used with a dimmer switch (even if the switch is set to maximum) They will die prematurely guaranteed!
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Sprial CFL's shouldn't be installed in areas where there is little ventilation (eg. inside small pot lights). Always use the appropriate bulb type (eg. PAR20, BR30 ..) for that fixture. Don't get creative!
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Excessive on/off will reduce the life of the bulb (any bulb really!).