new cfl (compact fluorescent light bulbs)

Every Compact Fluorescent Light can prevent – over its lifetime - more than 450 pounds of CO2 emissions. New CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights) use 50 to 80 percent less energy and last 5 to 10 times longer than incandescents. New Fluorescent Tube Lamps and Compact Fluorescent Lights are a sound economical and environmental option.

Fluorescent Tube Lamps

Fluorescent Tube Lamps are - with LEDs - the most efficient lamps available, and they have a long lifespan (7,000 to 24,000 hours, that is, 10 times more than incandescent lights).

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL’s)

CFL (Compact fluorescent Lamps) are the most recent advance in fluorescent lighting. Basically they are miniature versions of previous fluorescent lights. They involve a lamp, a lamp holder and a ballast (the electrical control).

New CFL are slighlty less efficient than Fluorescent Lamps, and their service life is about half of the most efficient Fluorescent Tube Lamps, but they are largely preferable to incandescent lamps, both economically and environmentally.

Today, there are CFL’s in very different sizes and shapes that can be used in almost all incandescent fixtures, indoors and outdoors.

Costs and Energy Savings

Compact fluorescents are much expensive to purchase than incandescents (prices between $2 and $5 are common), but they can pay for themselves in energy savings in approximately two years.

To get a quicker payback and more energy savings, replace common bulbs where lights are on for longer (more than two hours per day, for example).

Shapes and types of fluorescent lights

New CFL bulbs come in a large variety of shapes and sizes. The table below, from Energy Star, shows the most common CFL shapes/types and their more common names. Below we also enumerate their uses.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Spiral Lamps: the spiral lamp is the most popular model of compact fluorescent bulbs. Spiral bulbs are moslty used as table floor lamps and as outdoor covered lamps, and in ceiling fixtures and wall sconces.

Tube Lamps: this type of lamp is particularly fit for table floor and task lights, pendant fixtures, ceiling fixtures and outdoor covered fixtures.

The incandescent A-line fluorescent: this type of CFL's is particularly suitable as table/floor lamps and are commonly used in pendant fixtures, ceiling fans and outdoor covered fixtures.

Globe fluorescents are suitable for pendant fixtures and ceiling fans.

Candelabra, Post or Bullet shape fluorescents are suitable for wall sconces and outdoor covered lamps.

Indoor reflector fluorescents are suitable for recessed cans and track lighting.

Outdoor reflector fluorescents are particularly suitable for outdoor exposed fixtures. Be careful with fluorescent for outdoors: some do not operate well at cooler temperatures (below 40ºF), though there are “weatherproof” and Energy Star models qualified for low-outdoor temperatures.

Integral and Modular Types

New CFL can be of two types:

1) "integral" bulb/ballast or
2) "modular".

Modular CFL involve a pin-based bulb that is separable from the ballast, which can be reused when the bulb burns out (usually the ballast supports five bulb replacements).

Integral CFL is a sealed set, comprising an integrated bulb-ballast.

Though modular CFL’s have some advantages (the bulb without the ballast is cheaper…), the integral CFL’s are much more common, and the only models presently qualified by organisms like Energy Star.

In the case of modular CFL's, when buying a bulb to replace another one, make sure that the rating of the bulb's lumen output and the design of its base is the right one…

Fluorescent wattage

Manufacturers are offering three very popular wattages:

- the 13-watt (60-watt incandescent equivalent)
- the 18-watt (75-watt incandescent equivalent) and
- the 26-watt (100-watt incandescent equivalent).

Fluorescent colors

New CFL haven’t the disadvantages of old ones: newer compact fluorescent lighting may involve warm tones, that make them indistinguishable from incandescent.

Switch On and Off

Use the mew CFL in rooms and areas where the lights aren’t switched on and off too frequently. Otherwise, the CFL’s life will shorten.

Fluorescent lights and Mercury

Fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury in their tubing. Old lights should be put in recycling centers.

If a bulb breaks in your home, open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more. Then, with gloves, carefully scoop up the fragments and powder (do not use a vacuum or broom: use stiff paper or cardboard) and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Also place all the cleanup materials in another sealed plastic bag… For more details, see, Energy Star Recommendations.

Fluorescent lights and incandescent fixtures

New CFL work in common incandescent fixtures. Check the Compact Fluorescent packaging for any restrictions on incandescent fixtures.

For recessed fixtures, it's better to use a 'reflector' Compact Fluorescent Light instead of a standard-shaped bulb. Read the packaging to be sure that the CFL works for the fixture you have in mind.

Dedicated fluorescent fixtures

New CFL can be used in almost all incandescent fixtures but dedicated fluorescent fixtures can provide higher energy savings, and also a better lighting and more reliability and a longer lifespan.