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Re: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs – A Tale From Dust to Dust

Re: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs – A Tale From Dust to Dust

Your numbers actually give a break-even time of 74.6 hrs per CFL: running an incandescent light for 1000hrs requires 60.29 kWh, running a CFL requires 3.38kWh per bulb+.015kWh/hr. The energy to run a CFL for 1000hrs is .015*1000=15kWh. 60.29-15=45.29kWH, so this is the amount of energy that can be devoted to producing CFLs to run for 1000hrs at the break-even point. 45.29/3.38=13.4 CFLs. 1000hrs/13.4CFLs is 74.6 hrs/CFL.

I assume that since there is such a large difference between either 50 or 74 and 8000, you considered your point to be made without finding a higher accuracy answer. I personally found your result of 50hrs to be so shocking that I had to check it.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs – A Tale From Dust to Dust By: ben (21 replies) Thu, 02/28/2008 - 01:58