Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL)

Not New but Improved

Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) is widely considered the most viable option for consumers who want a light bulb which performs similarly to incandescent bulbs but offers more energy efficiency and longevity. As the global energy crisis has climaxed in recent years, governments in several countries have proposed and passed legislation that bans the continued use of incandescent lighting in favor of CFLs. The prevailing perspective among energy conservationists is that it is only a matter of time before incandescent lighting is phased out throughout the world and CFLs become the norm for consumer applications rather than the exception.

For the most part, CFL bulbs are still powered by ballasts that utilize ancient technology by today’s standards. The prevalent technology found in CFL electronics was patented more than 25 years ago, and there has been very little progress made toward enhancing or improving the performance of the CFL bulb. As a result, consumers who appreciate the appeal of energy efficiency have been forced to suffer the performance limitations that go hand in hand with outdated technology. Until now. 

PureSpectrum Technology represents a significant upgrade for the technology without changing the rediments of how CFL bulbs produce artificial light. Some of the hesitation among consumers who have resisted CFLs has revolved around performance issues such as color quality, delayed ignition of the bulbs and the absence of true dimming capability.  PureSpectrum Technology’s proprietary circuitry design enables CFLs to look and perform more like an incandescent bulb; through superior electronics, PureSpectrum’s engineering team has been able to purify the light color, eliminate ignition and illumination delays and enable dimming for CFL bulbs. 

FAQ 

How does a compact fluorescent light bulb work?*
Fluorescent light bulbs (including compact fluorescents) are more energy-efficient than regular bulbs because of the different method they use to produce light. Regular bulbs (also known as incandescent bulbs) create light by heating a filament inside the bulb; the heat makes the filament white-hot, producing the light that you see. A lot of the energy used to create the heat that lights an incandescent bulb is wasted. A fluorescent bulb, on the other hand, contains a gas that produces invisible ultraviolet light (UV) when the gas is excited by electricity. The UV light hits the white coating inside the fluorescent bulb and the coating changes it into light you can see. Because fluorescent bulbs don’t use heat to create light, they are far more energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs.

What’s the difference between a compact fluorescent light bulb and a fluorescent bulb?
The primary difference is in size; compact fluorescent bulbs are made in special shapes (which require special technologies) to fit in standard household light sockets, like table lamps and ceiling fixtures. In addition, most compact fluorescent lamps have an “integral” ballast that is built into the light bulb, whereas most fluorescent tubes require a separate ballast independent of the bulb. Both types offer energy-efficient light.

What compact fluorescent light bulb do I buy to replace a 60-, 75-, 100- or 150-watt regular bulb? How are the watts calculated?

While a regular (incandescent) light bulb uses heat to produce light, a fluorescent bulb creates light using an entirely different method that is far more energy-efficient — in fact, 4-6 times more efficient. This means that you can buy a 15-watt compact fluorescent bulb that produces the same amount of light as a 60-watt regular incandescent bulb.

Don’t worry about the math, though — we make it easy for you to figure out which compact fluorescent bulb to buy by displaying the equivalent regular watts you’re used to prominently on the package. Just look for the wattage you would normally buy in a regular bulb. In case you’re curious, here are the watts needed by regular incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light.

  • 60 watts incandescent = 15 watts compact fluorescent
  • 75 watts incandescent = 20 watts compact fluorescent
  • 100 incandescent = 26-29 watts compact fluorescent
  • 150 incandescent = 38-42 watts compact fluorescent
  • 250-300 incandescent = 55 watts compact fluorescent

* information reproduced from www.gelighting.com