Compact fluorescent lighting is designed to replace an incandescent lighting. Compact fluorescent lighting uses less power and has a longer rated life. It is lower power consumption (to 80%) and much longer lifetime (5 to 15 times).
Like all fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lighting contains mercury, which complicates its disposal. Due to its brightness, stability and attractive pricing, this lighting is currently the better choice for most homes and businesses.
Compact fluorescent lighting is more energy-efficient than regular bulbs because of the different method it uses to produce light. It is known that 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 energy used to create the heat that lights an incandescent bulb are wasted.
On the contrary, compact fluorescent lighting 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 lighting and the coating changes it into light you can see. Because the fluorescent lighting does not use heat to create light, it is far more energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs.
The primary difference is in size. Compact fluorescent lighting is made in special shapes (which require special technologies) to fit in standard household light sockets, like table lamps and ceiling fixtures. Moreover, most compact fluorescent lamps have ‘integral’ ballast that is built into the light bulb, whereas most fluorescent tubes require separate ballast independent of the bulb. Both types offer energy-efficient light.
Compact fluorescent lighting is also different from a regular (incandescent) lighting to produce light. A regular lighting uses heat to produce light, while a fluorescent bulb creates light using an entirely different method that is far more energy-efficient. That is why, this lamp is 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.
Overall, compact fluorescent lighting, when compared with standard incandescent bulbs, offer many benefits. Firstly, this lighting helps save energy and money. It uses 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs, and lasts up to 10 times longer. Secondly, this lighting offers convenience because it lasts longer and comes in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture.
Finally, compact fluorescent lighting produces about 70% less heat than standard incandescent bulbs, so this lighting is safer to operate and can help cut energy costs associated with home cooling. When shopping, you should look for Energy Star qualified CFL.
Compact fluorescent lighting is safe to use in your home. No mercury is released when the lighting is in use. So, there is no danger to you or your family when you use this lighting properly. However, it is made of glass tubing and can break if dropped or roughly handled. Thus, be careful when removing the lamp from its packaging, installing it, or replacing it.
By choosing to use compact fluorescent lighting, you can reduce air and water pollution. Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. uses energy-efficient lighting, they could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.
