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Compact fluorescent lamps are an exciting new family of lighting products. They incorporate the best features of fluorescent tubes - high efficiency and long life. Compact fluorescent lamps also have improved color characteristics and a compact size. The result is a variety of products that replace common standard incandescent bulbs and consume only 1/4 the energy. |
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| What are compact fluorescent lamps? |
| Compact fluorescent lamps contain a small fluorescent tube and a ballast. The ballast is an electric device required to start and operate the bulb. |
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| Will my lighting fixtures accept compact fluorescent bulbs? What about their color? |
| Compact fluorescent bulbs screw into standard lamp sockets. They are available in sizes to replace incandescent bulbs of 40, 60, 75 and 100 watts. Compact fluorescent bulbs duplicate the "natural" color produced by standard bulbs. They are free of the bluish light given off from cool white fluorescent tubes. |
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| How long do compact fluorescent bulbs last? |
| Compact fluorescent bulbs last a long time - most have a rated life of 10,000 hours. This is up to 13 times the life of standard incandescent light bulb. For example, the rated life of a 100 watt incandescent bulb is 750 hours. In the average home use, a compact fluorescent bulb can be expected to last for over eight years! |
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| Why pay more for a light bulb? |
| Compact fluorescent bulbs are a good investment even though good quality products sell for much more than an incandescent light bulb. |
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| Most of the cost of providing light goes to pay for the electricity used by the bulb. A standard incandescent bulb consumes six times its cost for electricity! That means that a cheap bulb is not a good deal. Compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more efficient at producing light. They consume only 1/4 of the electricity used by standard incandescent bulbs. This amounts to a significant cost savings. |
