How long does a traditional light bulb last?

Periodically, I get this question and there is NO pat answer. It varies per bulb and per manufacturer. And I know that there are a great deal of off brands of light bulbs out there and brand DOES matter. If you want a light bulb to do what it touts on the box, choose one of the 3 major brands. Philips, GE or Osram-Sylvania.

Anyway, back to the question. For your general incandescent bulbs can last between 1000 and 2500 hours. Many companies will put a time period in years, but you must look at the small writing because this assumption is based on using so many hours per day. Halogen bulbs will last anywhere from 3000 to 6000 hours. Then compact fluorescent bulbs can last anywhere from 8000 to 15,000 hours.

Holly Eddins

What does rated average life mean?

Rated average life is looked at for each different type and make of light bulb. It is basically the number of hours when 50% of the light bulbs are still working. Does that mean that if you buy a particular light bulb will last at least that long? No, it means that it might burn out quickly or it might last way longer than the rated average life.

To figure out in days rather than hours, you should figure that you'll use a particular light bulb an average of 4 hours a day. So, if you used a bulb 4 hours a day by the end of the year that bulb will have been used almost 1500 hours. Now, if you have little kids like I do and you have to leave certain lights on all night long, you'll obviously need to use different dailing averages for those high use one.

If this case, you'll want to use a longer life light bulb that uses low watts like a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb.Holly Eddins