Lighting

Shining a new light on fluorescent bulbs

Julia Dault, eco options, Fall 2007

Times have changed, and so have fluorescent bulbs.  Now they're available in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  And the best part is, they save you money, too.

Fact

Electrical light burns up to 25% of the average home's energy budget.

Thomas Edison created the first useable incandescent light at the turn of the 19th century and ushered in a lighting revolution.  But it doesn’t take an expert to figure out that at this point, the design would benefit from a bit of tweaking.

Today’s lighting demands are different than they were back then:  we need longevity, cost and energy efficiency, reliability and flexible, flattering light from our bulbs.  The solution?  Energy-efficient lighting that, though it may cost a bit more upfront, pays off in the end with lower operating costs, a longer life and indisputable environmental benefits.  Without a doubt, Mr. Edison would be proud.

New and improved

Where fluorescent bulbs were once notorious for buzzing, flickering, time-lags and casting harsh, unflattering, recent innovations have produced new bulbs that are literally brilliant: low cost, energy efficient, quiet and reliable.  Plus they now come in all sorts of shades and tones.

Eco-friendly fluorescent bulbs

The most energy-efficient bulbs on the market, fluorescents use small amounts of inert gas rather than the burning filaments in halogen or incandescent bulbs.  The result?  They consume 60% to 70% less energy to achieve the same level of light. And unlike incandescents, which can reach temperatures of over 212 °F (100°C), you can handle fluorescents without hurting your fingers (they only heat up to 59 ° to 77 °F (15° to 25 °C), which makes them a lot safer to use in the home.

Compact fluorescent bulbs or CFLs are miniature versions of the full-sized fluorescents and last about 10,000 hours – 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

General service bulbs are long, thin tubes often used in offices and institutions, workshops, garages and basements.  They can last from 10,000 to 20,000 hours – 10 to 20 times longer than incandescents.

Picking the right bulb for your needs

CFLs come in different shades, from soft and warm to cool and pure.  Finding the right white is simple.  A CFL’s colour is rated using kelvins (K), a way of rating a colour’s temperature.  Just remember:  the lower the kelvin, the warmer the light.

• Try one on for size: start with one trial bulb, taking note of the wattage, lumens and kelvin ratings to find your perfect CFL personality.  

• Watts and lumens:  Don’t be fooled by CFLs’ low wattages, as the bulbs only use about a quarter of the wattage of a standard bulb to produce the same amount of light.

• Shape and size:  Sizes of CFLs differ slightly from standard bulbs, so be sure to know the size of your lamps and shades before heading to the hardware store.

More brilliant choices

• Look for extras like dimmer switches and three-way bulbs to get the most out of your lighting fixtures.

• If you're looking for garage and basement lighting, T8 tubes with diameters of 1 in. (26 mm) are considered the most energy efficient of the general service fluorescent bulbs and a great way to put an end to those days of fumbling around in dark corners.

• And, of course, all fluorescents are a great way to save money.  Brillant!

The benefits of fluorescents

• Reduced maintenance costs.

• Improved light output (four to five more per watt than incandescent lamps).

• 75% to 80% reduction in energy costs.

• Longer rated life (10 to 20 times longer than for incandescent lamps).

Fact

If every household in Canada replaced just one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light, greenhouse-gas emissions would be cut by nearly 400,000 tonnes and save $73-million in energy costs.