Here’s another post in our series about the differences between LEDs and CFLs. So far we’ve covered everything from efficiency to safety. Click here to see the whole series.
Turns out, if you use CFLs and LEDs in the exact same way, they’ll react differently. Sometimes, the results can be damaging.
It’s a common myth that turning your fluorescent lights on and off frequently will increase your energy bill. While CFLs do use more energy to start up, it’s only equivalent to lighting the same lamp for a few extra seconds.
What you’ll need to watch out for is the price of replacing that CFL.
The rated life of a CFL, like all fluorescent lamps, can be dramatically reduced if the lamp is cycled on and off frequently.
The rated lives of LEDs, on the other hand, aren’t affected if you turn the lights on and off on a regular basis.
What does this mean for you? Well, if you need lights in a place where they’ll cycle on and off a lot, you should consider using LEDs. Places like this might include the bathroom, your closets, the outdoors, and any lights on motion sensors or photocells.