SHORT ANSWER: BECAUSE THEY’RE BETTER. Why People Still Use Inefficient Incandescent Bulbs. Plus:

Some consumers complain that CFLs don’t last as long as advertised. One characteristic of CFL bulbs is they are “fairly fragile” and can succumb to overheating, said Terry McGowan, director of engineering for the American Lighting Association.

“Those life ratings are established in a test lab and not established in somebody’s living room fixture,” McGowan said. “When you put them in a fixture and bottle them up in a glass shade, they get too hot and the life will be shortened.”

LED lights can also overheat. McGowan recommends using these bulbs in light fixtures that have good ventilation.

So the LED lifespan figures, like the CFL lifespan figures, aren’t really applicable to the real world. Great.

It’s not quite too late to stock up on incandescents.