Compact Fluorescent Lights Come of Age

While the majority of light bulbs in residential households are conventional incandescent, compact fluorescent technology is creating sweeping change in lighting solutions. Originally developed to reduce energy consumption by replacing conventional 25-watt to 100-watt incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs are available in a variety of bulbs and fixtures styles to fit most indoor and outdoor lighting applications and fixtures.

The biggest trend in lighting recently is energy conservation and efficiency, and compact fluorescents have been on the leading-edge of the smart technology movement by lowering wattage ratings yet maintaining the lumen outputs of incandescent bulbs, says Dave Hearn, president of Des Moines, Iowa-based Baker Electric.

"Compact fluorescent light bulbs are pretty much replacing incandescents. They cost a little more going in, which can be good for an electrical contractor's margin, but if there are a significant number of lamps and fixtures, you need to have the analysis on hand to convince owners that the payback is there," Hearn says.

According to ENERGY STAR, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) program designed to help businesses and individuals protect the environment through energy efficiency, the average home has 30 lights making the savings too great to ignore. EPA reports that qualified compact fluorescent bulbs use approximately 66 percent less energy than standard incandescents and last up to 10 times longer. The bulbs in ENERGY STAR-qualified fixtures are rated to perform for 10,000 to 20,000 hours.

The combination of qualified compact fluorescent bulbs and fixtures with regular residential use of 3.5 hours per day, it's estimated that homeowners won't need to change bulbs for up to seven years. The longer life span can pay dividends on utility bills and environmental protection, not to mention the value of not having to climb ladders to change bulbs as frequently.

"The real savings, in addition to the operating costs, is in the labor it takes to change multiple lamps," Hearn says. "You change CFLs about one-third of the time compared to incandescents."

 Design is the Difference
The key to the performance and efficiency of compact fluorescents is the dramatic difference in technology, which leapfrogs that of a conventional bulb using the process of incandescence discovered by Thomas Edison in 1879. When an incandescent light is turned on, an electrical current runs through a wire producing 90 percent heat and 10 percent light. In a CFL, a chemical reaction occurs in a glass tube between inert gas, liquid metal and phosphorus which creates light—without the heat.

CFLs provide the same amount of light (lumens) as standard incandescent bulbs, but have lower wattage ratings. For instance, a 1,600 lumen CFL is equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent.

Taking Technology to Customers
EPA spokeswoman Maria Vargas says new advances in today's compact fluorescent technology are resulting in attractive fixtures that consumers demand. "Homeowners and commercial property owners can now choose from a variety of dedicated energy-efficient fixtures that offer a lifetime of energy savings and the highest quality light," she says. "Or, if not replacing a fixture, they can find screw-in compact fluorescent bulbs for almost any application."

CFL fixtures are now available for a number of indoor and outdoor applications including:

• Torchieres
• Under/Over Kitchen Cabinets
• Recessed Lighting
• Wall Sconces
• Hanging Pendant Fixtures
• Motion Sensors

Hearn says the other advantageous selection criteria for CFLs is the expanded color spectrum or rendering. Measured in Kelvin, fluorescent lighting is available in over 200 colors ranging from the warm white tones of incandescent light to cool white tones that simulate daylight.