Fluorescent Light Bulb Experiment Part 9
I had another fluorescent light bulb from this experiment series burn out. It was the one installed in the garage door opener on 1/10/2007. This was a a MaxLite 100 bulb with a guaranteed lifetime of 10000 hours. The bulb only lasted an estimated 150 hours assuming 1 hours per day usage. The total power savings of this bulb was only 5.25 kW hr for a monetary savings of about $0.53. The savings did not even come close to covering the cost of the bulb! I'm beginning to suspect that the fluorescent bulbs may not achieve the expected lifetimes in real world applications. Please post comments if you have seen similar issues. One thing that may have contributed to this bulb failing early could be vibrations from the garage door opener motor, and another might be temperature extremes in the garage.
Here is a table to track the bulbs that have burned out.
| Light bulb location | Date installed | Light bulb type | Average hours per day | Power saved per year (kW hr) | Date burned out | Bulb power savings over Current Incandescent (W) | Bulb Lifetime (Hours) | Estimated Total Power Saved (kW hr) | Total Estimated Money Saved ($) |
| Basement Light in Craft Area | 1/1/2006 | GE 100 | 2 | 24.82 | 5/4/2007 | 34 | 976 | 33.18 | $3.32 |
| Garage Door Opener Light | 1/10/2007 | MaxLite 100 | 1 | 12.78 | 6/9/2007 | 35 | 150 | 5.25 | $0.53 |
I have replaced the bulb with a n:vision bulb with the following specifications:
n:vision 100
1600 Lumen light output
23 W
10,000 Hour guaranteed life
Here is an updated table tracking the experiment.
| Light bulb location | Date installed | Light bulb type | Average hours per day | Power saved per year (kW hr) | Bulb power savings over Current Incandescent (W) |
| Outside Pole Light | 11/1/2005 | GE 60 | 4 | 65.7 | 45 |
| East Garage Light | 11/1/2005 | GE 60 | 2 | 32.85 | 45 |
| West Garage Light | 4/2/2006 | Sylvania mini 60 | 2 | 34.31 | 47 |
| Basement Light Outside Bathroom | 11/1/2005 | GE 60 | 2 | 32.85 | 45 |
| Front Porch Light | 11/29/2005 | Buyer's Choice 60 | 4 | 68.62 | 47 |
| Basement Light in computer area | 12/25/2005 | GE 100 | 2 | 24.82 | 34 |
| SW Bedroom Ceiling Light (north position) | 1/1/2006 | Buyer's Choice 60 | 1.5 | 25.73 | 47 |
| SW Bedroom Ceiling Light (south position) | 3/30/2006 | Buyer's Choice 60 | 1.5 | 14.78 | 27 |
| First Floor Back Door Hallway | 1/20/2007 | FEIT 60 | 0.02 | 0.29 | 47 |
| Front Room Lamp | 1/20/2006 | Buyer's Choice 60 | 1 | 17.16 | 47 |
| Basement Light in Craft Area | 5/5/2007 | n:vision 100 | 2 | 27.01 | 37 |
| Garage Door Opener Light | 1/10/2007 | n:vision 100 | 1 | 13.51 | 37 |
| Total | 357.62 | 505 |
I installed Buyers Choice 60's. They have been in for less than 6 months
and I just had one catch fiire! Thank goodness I was sitting in the room at
the time. I must admit I'm a little concerned about the smoke that came
from it because of the mercury. Haven't found much in terms of contact
information.