Do energy saving lightbulbs take more energy to manufacture?

Question

I heard that the production of an energy saving lightbulb takes up more energy / resources than when making a conventional bulb. I just wondered if this was true. Even if it is, surely the reduction in energy consumed over the lifespan of the energy saving bulb would more than outweigh any extra used in making it?

Answer 1

Yes, but manufacture takes a very short time compared to how long they're in operation.

So overall, they do save substantial energy.

Answer 2

So-called "energy saving" incandescent light bulbs take approximately the same energy to manufacture as regular incandescent light bulbs, but that's because they are just incandescent light bulbs that have been optimized to burn as brightly as regular bulbs while using only slightly less electricity.  However, their lifespan is typically less than regular incandescent bulbs, so the savings are somewhat illusory.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), however, are energy saving light bulbs that use a lot less energy than incandescents.  However, they are much more complex and require many more resources to manufacture.  They use electronic ballast circuits, which require numerous electronic components.  The semiconductor devices used in the electronic ballasts require that a bolle of silicon be grown, sliced into wafers, vapor deposited, etched, diced, mounted to a leadframe, wirebonded, and packaged.  Inductors require mining and refining of various metals, as well as the use of varnish.  Circuit boards require the manufacture of fiberglass and thermoset resin, as well as the mining and refining of metals.  The manufacture of the bulb itself requires refining of the materials used for the phosphor coating, as well as the mercury vapor filling.  For all of those reasons, CFLs are energy and resource intensive to manufacture compared to the relatively simple process of manufacturing incandescent bulbs.

Even with all of that, because of the substantially lower energy usage of CFLs, you should be safe in saying "the reduction in energy consumed over the lifespan of the energy saving bulb would more than outweigh any extra used in making it."  However, I've had many CFLs that have a five-year warranty printed on the package fail after anywhere from first use to six months, usually due to a faulty electronic ballast.  When a CFL is dead when brand new or dies after only two days of use, the extra energy and resources used to produce it cannot be amortized over its life.  If enough CFLs fail prematurely, there is no guarantee, even when averaged out by other CFLs that do not fail prematurely, that "the reduction in energy consumed over the lifespan of the energy saving bulb would more than outweigh any extra used in making it."