Standard Incandescents

• One of the main reasons that light bulbs burn out so quickly is that they are normally a standard incandescent bulb. More than 85 percent of the world's lighting is made up of incandescent bulbs. The same version we use today--containing a tungsten filament--was invented in 1879 by Thomas Edison. They remain almost unchanged and still have a lifespan of only 750 to 2,500 hours--a relatively short amount of time with regular use of bulbs within homes.
  
  

Fluorescent Lighting

• Most people use fluorescent lighting as an alternative to incandescent lighting because it lasts 10 to 25 times as long and is much more energy-efficient. If your fluorescent lights are burning out earlier than that time frame, it might be due to mechanical problems with the ballast, which serves to regulate the electrical current flow.
  
  

Night Use

• The main reason that light bulbs burn out is through regular and consistent use during the night. Because most incandescent bulbs have a lifespan of around a thousand hours and will very commonly be used for several hours during the night, it's common for them to burn out after only a few months.
  
  

Day Use

• Another common reason why light bulbs burn out relatively quickly is through accidental use. Not only does accidental use during the day cause electricity bills to spike, but it shortens the lifespan of the bulbs tremendously.
  
  

Alternatives

• Depending on the amount of time you use bulbs, there are several options available to prevent lights from burning out quickly. Standard incandescent bulbs can be replaced by longer-lasting incandescent bulbs that have thicker tungsten filaments. If those still burn out too quickly, they can be replaced with halogen bulbs, which use a coating and chemical to recycle heat, or with compact fluorescent bulbs, which do not operate off of a filament.