How do you personally use energy?

How much energy does an energy saving bulb use to start up?

• I have been told, by a friend, that an energy saving lightbulb usues 15 mins worth of electricity to start - getting up to temperature etc. So if only going out for 10 mins is it better to leave it running?

• Answer:

  Nope. They use little extra energy to start. Fluorescent light bulbs heat a small filament to trigger the gas discharge at a lower voltage than would be needed with a cold cathode. The main reason for this is simplicity in the starter circuit. But this simplicity is not necessary as the CCFLs (cold cathode fluorescent lights) in your notebook computer demonstrate. Those bulbs use a higher start voltage generated by a more complex electronic circuit. The total start energy is probably worth a few seconds of operational power consumption. There is one part of the myth that is true: florescent lights with an old (hot cathode) starter have a limited number of start cycles which degrades the lifetime of the lamps if they are being used for much less than an hour at a time. This has nothing to do with the power consumption, but is merely a matter of upgrading the electronic starter to gently start the lamps gas discharge.