COMPACT ENERGY SAVING LAMPS
Straight Fluorescent and Compact Fluorescent Lamp Tubes
A fluorescent tube is a low pressure discharge lamp which consists of a glass tube coated with phosphors, trace amounts of mercury and an electrode at each end of tube.
An electric current flows between the electrodes creating a low intensity arc which excites the mercury vapour and produces mostly non visible (UV) radiation which in turn excites the phosphors which then emit visible light. Fluorescent have higher efficacy than incandescent lamps, producing 3 to 5 times as much light for a given input power and thus producing much less heat.
The quality of the light a fluorescent lamps produce depends largely on the blend of chemical ingredients used in making the phosphors; there are dozens of different phosphor blends available. The most common and least expensive are "cool white" and "warm white." These provide a light with relatively poor color-rendering capabilities, making colors appear washed out, lacking luster and richness.
The tube may be long and straight, as with standard fluorescents, or there may be a series of smaller tubes, in a configuration that can be screwed into a common light fixture. This latter configuration is called a compact fluorescent lamp or CFL. They are not suitable for precise light beam control neither dimmable. They require an additional ballast to start-up and to regulate the lamp current.
The growth of the compact fluorescent market in recent years has been enormous. There is now a good variety of lamp wattages, sizes, shapes, and attractive packages. This is a growing and rapidly changing marketplace as the lighting industry develops and introduced new version, models, shapes, configurations and applications every 6 months.
A number of manufacturers market compact fluorescent lamps either with an integrated ballast (better known as ESL) or a separate ballast into which a replaceable lamp plugs. These have the advantages of being about 5 times more efficient and having a lifetime of 8 to 10 times longer than the incandescent lamps they replace. Although many utility companies have encouraged the use of these lamps through rebate programs and providing the lamps free to low income households, they have met with limited success due primarily to their initial high cost, and also due to their tendency to flash upon starting, their inability to be dimmed, and the fact that they may not fit into existing fixtures.
New shape – spiral, lotus, mushroom, conical and other configurations of smaller tube diameter CFLs (mini CFLs) results in a more compact shape with comparable light output and efficiency compared to conventional CFL design. This addresses one of the major drawbacks of this technology - the fact that they were too large to fit many existing fixtures. The more compact light source also aids in the optimization of CFL reflectors for use in spotlight applications.
Color Quality
The color of the light emitted from a fluorescent bulb is determined by the phosphors that coat the inside surface. The terms "color temperature" and "color rendering" are the technical terms used to describe light.
Phosphor blends are available that not only render colors better, but also produce light more efficiently. Most notable of these are the fluorescent lamps using tri-color phosphor coating, which have CRIs above 80. These incorporate relatively expensive phosphors with peak luminance in the blue, green, and red portions of the visible spectrum (those which the human eye is most sensitive to), and produce about 15% more visible light than standard phosphors.
Energy and Cost Savings
The main justification for buying fluorescent lights is to save energy and money. The new compact fluorescent lightings or ESLs provide opportunities for tremendous savings without any inconveniences. Simple payback calculations prove their cost-effectiveness. Energy Saving Lamps typically last 8 to 10 times longer and use one-fourth the energy of standard incandescent lights.
The next question, of course, is, "How much do Energy Saving Lamps save?" The more a light is used, the more that can be saved by replacing it with an ESL. Installing ESL in the fixtures that are used most and have high wattage saves the most. An excellent candidate is an all-night security light.
Available COMPACT ENERGY SAVING LAMPS:
 | 2U, 3U, 4U Mini and Standard Type Series |
| Spiral Series |
| Globe Series |
| Candle Series |
| Bulb Series |
| Cylinder & Drop Series |
| PAR Series |
| Energy Saving Lamps with Photo Sensor |
| Other |
