Fluorescent Lights Types, Fixtures and Wattage

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Fluorescent Lights: Types, Wattage and Fixtures

Fluorescent lights & energy savings

Every Compact Fluorescent Light can prevent – over its lifetime - more than 450 pounds of emissions from a power plant. Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) use 50 to 80 percent less energy and last 5 to 10 times longer than incandescents. That's why fluorescent lights, and namely Compact Fluorescent Lights, are a sound environmental option.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL’s)

CFLs (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).

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 more expensive to purchase than incandescents, 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): living room, kitchen, porch... or other rooms and places.

Shapes and types of fluorescent lights

Compact fluorescents present a large variety of shapes and sizes, rather confusing. The table below, from Energy Star, shows the most common CFL shapes/types and their more common names. Below we also enumerate their uses.

Spiral Lamps: The spiral lamp is the most popular model of compact fluorescent bulbs. Spiral bulbs are particularly suitable to table floor lamps, ceiling fixtures, wall sconces, and outdoor covered lamps.

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 is particularly suitable for table/floor lamps, 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” models and Energy Star models qualified to low outdoor temperatures.

Integral and Modular Types

Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) can be of two types:

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

Modular CFL’s 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 type CFL’s 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 as 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:

- the13-watt (60-watt incandescent equivalent)
- the 18-watt (75-watt incandescent equivalent) and
- the 26-watt (100-watt incandescent equivalent).

Fluorescent colors

Today’s fluorescents haven’t the disadvantages of old ones: newer compact fluorescent lighting may also involve warm tones that make them indistinguishable from incandescent.

Switch On and Off

Use the CFL’s in rooms and areas of the house where the lights aren’t switched on and off too frequently. Otherwise, the CFL’s life will shorten. Minimum periods of fifteen minutes are desirable.

Fluorescent lights and Mercury

Fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury in their tubing. Old lights should be put in recycling centers. If your state permit people to put used and broken fluorescent bulbs in the garbage, seal the bulb in a plastic bag and put it into the outside trash or any other protected outside trash location.

Cares with broken fluorescent lights

If a bulb breaks in your house, 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

Most compact fluorescent lights work in common incandescent fixtures, but some may have trouble operating in older ones.

Notes:
- For recessed fixtures, it is better to use a 'reflector' Compact Fluorescent Light instead of a standard-shaped bulb. Read the packaging to be sure that the CFL you choose works for the fixture you have in mind.
- Check the Compact Fluorescent packaging for any restrictions on incandescent fixtures.

Dedicated fluorescent fixtures

Though Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) can now be used in almost all incandescent fixtures, it’s usually preferable to use dedicated fluorescent fixtures – they allow higher energy savings, and a better light, reliability and longevity.