EcoLight: My Guide to Greener Home Lighting

CathyJames

LED bulbs are bit a dearer than different types of mild bulbs, however they claim to last loads longer. But do LED bulbs actually last the ten years that many manufacturers declare? Even the most affordable EcoLight LED mild bulbs (Philips sells some for as low as $2 per bulb) declare to have a 10-12 months lifespan, but it's essential to know that is actually based on some pretty modest assumptions. If you happen to read the fantastic print (notice the asterisks next to the 10-12 months claim in the image above), a 10-year lifespan is based on solely having the bulb on for 3 hours per day, daily. In some households, this can be correct, but in others, that is laughable. This particular 10-yr claim means that the bulb can final for almost 11,000 hours. So if we have been to have the bulb on for eight hours each day (two hours in the morning and six hours in the night, as an example---possibly longer on the weekends), this means that it could solely final shy of three and a half years.