Well I had it confirmed the other day – a suspicion I have had about Energy Saving Light-bulbs. I bought a lot of these back in 1998. I believe everyone of that original batch is still working today – ten years later. However, a more recent batch, including the latest dimmable models fresh on the market, have proven to be a lot less reliable. In the space of one month I experienced an extraordinary statistical anomaly, three bulbs failed. All had been ones I had purchased within the last three years.

I was wondering if this was a common problem but had not been overly bothered to research the matter. However, I was recently reviewing the CAT booklet “The Energy Saving House” by Thierry Salomon and Stephane Bedel. They mention that the quality and lifespan of some manufacturer’s bulbs were suspect although a lifespan of up to 11 years is to be expected normally. I wonder if anyone out there had done field trials on some of these cheap’n’cheerful bulbs now sold by some of the UK Supermarkets?

I am going to drop a note to Chris Goodall to see if he knows. Anyway, buyer beware! We don’t need any bad news on CFL’s to distract the public. Let’s hope that as the new manufacturers come off the learning curve then the lifespan of new bulbs will improve. However this does raise a possible fear. Once Tungsten Filament bulbs are finally banned, and there is no competition, who is to say the bulb manufacturers are not going to start building in obsolescence into CFL’s? This would erode the cost benefit and increase their environmental impact. CFL’s contain mercury. One of their selling points was their long lifespan which gave the longer-term cost saving over old fashioned bulbs. It would be sad to see such a cynical move by the manufacturers. Let’s hope that “built in obsolescence” is just a passing phase of modern capitalism. We need to start building to last. The throwaway society’s days are numbered.