Compact Fluroscent Lights or Lamps (CFLs) are the latest innovations in energy saving lighting devices. Since long we have been using the incandescent bulbs with tungsten filament. These bulbs are energy guzzlers.
The CFLs come in 8W, 11 W, 14 W, 18 W, and 23 Watts. These produce the same luminosity of a 40W, 60 W, 75 W, 100 W, or a 125 W incandescent bulbs respectively. For example, to produce a luminosity of 1600 lumens, we need a 100 W incandescent bulb, but a 23 W CFL would produce the same luminosity! A 8 W CFL is equivalent to 40 W bulb. Though the initial cost of a CFL is about 10 times that of a bulb, the CFLs' lifetime is 8000 to 15000 hours (8 to 15 times higher than a bulb), and the energy saved is very significant.
Seeing the efficiency of the CFLs and their energy saving properties, many countries have initiated steps to replace ALL the incandescent bulbs with CFLs by year 2010.
We in our Karpagam Avenue house replaced yesterday (6 Apr 2009) all the bulbs and (40W)tubes with CFLs !
Use CFLs, Save energy.
rajappa
10:00 am on 7th April 2009
Later, the fluorescent tubes (popularly known as "tube lights") came in the market and we switched over to these "tubelights" (particularly the 40 W tube). It is a gas discharge device that uses electricity to excite mercury vapour. Unlike the incandescent bulbs, tube lights need ballasts ("Chokes") to control the electric flow.
Then came the CFLs, the real energy savers. Even though some mercury is present in CFLs, the level is very low and hence not considered a health hazard. The electromagnetic ballasts of tubelights are replaced in CFLs with electronic ballasts which are efficient and quick-starters.
The CFLs come in 8W, 11 W, 14 W, 18 W, and 23 Watts. These produce the same luminosity of a 40W, 60 W, 75 W, 100 W, or a 125 W incandescent bulbs respectively. For example, to produce a luminosity of 1600 lumens, we need a 100 W incandescent bulb, but a 23 W CFL would produce the same luminosity! A 8 W CFL is equivalent to 40 W bulb. Though the initial cost of a CFL is about 10 times that of a bulb, the CFLs' lifetime is 8000 to 15000 hours (8 to 15 times higher than a bulb), and the energy saved is very significant.
Seeing the efficiency of the CFLs and their energy saving properties, many countries have initiated steps to replace ALL the incandescent bulbs with CFLs by year 2010.
We in our Karpagam Avenue house replaced yesterday (6 Apr 2009) all the bulbs and (40W)tubes with CFLs !
Use CFLs, Save energy.
rajappa
10:00 am on 7th April 2009
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