Compact Fluorescent Lights: Cheap enough to burn out early

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are very efficient, using a fraction of the electricity of the comparable incandescent bulbs. A common argument against them is that CFLs are significantly more expensive. This is offset by their longer life, in the range fo 6000 to 10,000 hours depending on the model. This is compared to an average life of 550 to 1000 hours for typical incandescents.

Another common argument against them is that if the CFLs happen not to last their advertised time, 6000 hours to 10,000 hours, then that additional expense has more than wiped out the gain.

Well, good news. CFLs have come down in price to the point where even if they fail well before their expected time, they are still cheaper to operate. Let’s run the numbers.