Compact Fluorescent Lamps

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When you replace standard incandescent light bulbs with high-efficiency compact fluorescent bulbs, you can reduce your lighting costs by up to 75%. In addition, compact fluorescent bulbs can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs-about 10,000 hours - saving money on replacement costs and time to replace as well.

Compact Fluorescent Screw-In Replacement Bulbs

The two-piece compact fluorescent has a bulb that plugs into a reusable screw-in ballast adapter. These ballasts have an average life of 45,000-50,000 hours.

One-piece compact fluorescent light bulbs are sold as a complete bulb/ballast unit. When the bulb needs to be replaced, the entire unit must be replaced. However, these bulbs last about 10 time longer than standard incandescent bulbs.

Circline bulbs are fluorescent tubes in the shape of a circle. They can be screwed in to replace incandescent bulbs, and can be plugged into a reusable ballast or purchased as a one-piece unit.

The following table lists several standard incandescent bulbs and the compact fluorescents that can replace them.

 

Incandescent	Compact Fluorescent*
60 Watts	15 Watts
75 Watts	20 Watts
90 Watts	23 Watts
100 Watts	28 Watts
* This comparison is an approximation. The actual lumens or light output may vary from bulb to bulb.

Energy Savings

Although compact fluorescent bulbs initially cost more than incandescent bulbs, they can use less energy and last longer. The following chart shows the potential life-cycle savings that you can typically expect when replacing a 75 Watt incandescent with a 20 Watt compact fluorescent. In this example, we've estimated that the compact fluorescent bulb lasts as long as 10 incandescent bulbs. Estimated savings over the 10-year life of the compact fluorescent bulb are more than $30.

 

Bulb	Retail Cost	Annual Energy Cost Per Bulb*	Total Cost
75 watt incandescent	$5 ($.50 x 10)	$5.63	$61.30
20 watt compact fluorescent	$13 ($13 x 1)	$1.50	$28.00
* Based on 1,000 hours of use per year at a cost of $0.075 per kWh of electricity

Applications

New technologies for compact fluorescent bulbs make it possible to place them almost anywhere that incandescent bulbs are used. This includes enclosed lighting, recessed lighting, track lighting and outdoor lighting. For help with selecting the right bulb for your particular needs, we suggest checking with a local lighting supplier. To save the most energy place them where they will be used most frequently, and for long periods of time. For instance, in your kitchen, living room or family room, in the family bath, and in reading lamps.