New lightbulbs : real power savers?

[Svartalf]

I noticed a thing... old style, filament bulbs had a limited lifespan because eventually the filament would break, but they gave full lighting quickly and it seems that they stood very well to repeated on/off cycles and short use periods.

CFLs, on the other hand, take a long time to reach full luminosity, and their weakness lies more in the activation system than the actual light generating parts, meaning they stand very well to long use, but tend to break more quickly than they should if turned on for short periods, then off, rinse again (in addition to providing poorer light)

I notice that because I have a CFL in my kitchen, and when I go there, I want excellent visibility, which is not what I have if I'm just there to get a drink or a quick snack (if preparation or nuking is involved, I have decent lighting by the time it's ready, but had to start with bad)... As a result, I tend to leave my kitchen lamp on all the evening long, so I won't have to repeat the bad lighting any number of times in the evening.

I don't know how it is with LED lights, the few I've seen up to now are unsuitable for proper house lighting, but it might have changed now.

So I wonder if I am not actually using more power from my kitchen light now than I did when I used a filament bulb that I just turned on and off on crossing the doorway.

[klr]

Do CFL bulbs actually have a relatively low overall on/off cycle life? Just because they take a long time to brighten up, it does not necessarily follow that that they would be more vulnerable to constant switching on and off.

Anyway, I tend to leave light bulbs on for an extended period if I can, regardless of the technology. Or off, if I can.

[mistermack]

What you rarely see mentioned is the fact that lightbulbs give off heat as well as light.
I don't mind leaving lights on in winter, it's dark for longer and the heat they give off saves a bit of heating cost. ( although it would be an expensive way to provide heat ).
So you get light and heat, for the price of lighting.
But in the summer it works the other way. The heat from lights makes the building too hot, or adds to air conditioning costs.
So if you have a preference for filament lighting, it might be an idea to change all the bulbs twice a year, and just use CFL bulbs in the summer.

[Svartalf]

I don't have a 'preference', because the only filament bulbs that remain available, if any, are so dim that I would not use them in my home.
I'm just wondering if the argument used by CFL lobbyists to convince our lawmakers to phase out traditional bulbs and fore everybody to switch to the newer, more expensive to buy, type, ha truth in it and if I'll really recoup the extra € I put in those by saving on energy consumption.

[GrahamH]

The life of a CFL is significantly shorter if it is turned on and off frequently. In the case of a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of a CFL can be reduced to "close to that of incandescent light bulbs". The U.S. Energy Star program suggests that fluorescent lamps be left on when leaving a room for less than 15 minutes to mitigate this problem.

[JimC]

The life of a CFL is significantly shorter if it is turned on and off frequently. In the case of a 5-minute on/off cycle the lifespan of a CFL can be reduced to "close to that of incandescent light bulbs". The U.S. Energy Star program suggests that fluorescent lamps be left on when leaving a room for less than 15 minutes to mitigate this problem.

I am fairly certain that LED's do not have the same problem...

I will move to LED's when the price drops to a reasonable level, and they can be used in any standard socket...

[Svartalf]

Well, I see what price I find LED beast lights next time I shop for any... which isn't likely to be soon as I've got a large stock.