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A compact fluorescent lamp ('''CFL'''), also known as a '''compact fluorescent light bulb''' or an '''energy saving lightbulb''', is a type of Fluorescent Lamp that screws into a regular light bulb Socket or plugs into a small Lighting Fixture . In comparison to Incandescent Light Bulb s, CFLs have a longer rated life and use less Electricity . In fact, CFLs save enough money in electricity costs to make up for their higher inital price within about 500 hours of use. MARKET Globally introduced in the early 1980s , CFLs have steadily increased in sales volume, largely due to improvements in product performance and reduction in unit prices. The most important advance in Fluorescent Lamp technology (including in CFLs) has been the gradual replacement of magnetic Ballasts with electronic ballasts: This has removed most of the flickering and slow starting traditionally associated with fluorescent lighting. The market for CFLs has been aided by the production of both integrated and non-integrated lamps. Integrated lamps combine a bulb, an electronic ballast and a screw fitting; these lamps allow consumers to easily replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. Non-integrated lamps allow for the replacement of consumable bulbs and the extended use of ballasts; since the ballasts last longer, they can be more expensive and sophisticated, providing options such as dimming. (Non-integrated CFLs are more popular for professional users, such as hotels.) CFLs are produced for both AC input and DC input. DC CFLs are popular for use in Recreational Vehicle s and Off-the-grid housing. Poor families in Developing Countries are using DC CFLs (with car batteries and small solar panels) to replace kerosene lanterns. COMPARING CFLS AND INCANDESCENT BULBS CFLs are typically guaranteed for 8,000 hours. (Incandescent bulbs typically last 500 to 4000 hours, depending on exposure to Voltage spikes.) CFLs use about four times less electricity. For example, a 15- Watt CFL produces the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb (approximately 900 Lumen s). Let us compare the purchase and operating costs of these two light sources. The Kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the unit of Energy used to sell electricity in most countries. The cost of electricity in the United States ranges from $0.06 to $0.38 per kWh, with an average cost of $0.09 per kWh. (See Electricity Rates .) For convenience, a rate of $0.10 per kWh is often used for estimating the running costs of appliances. The CFL, therefore, will save $36.00 in electricity (compared to the incandescent bulb) during its rated life. American Discount Store s sell packages of CFLs for $2.75 each and incandescent bulbs for $0.50 each, a $2.25 difference. The payback period for buying the CFL instead of the incandescent bulb is, therefore, 500 hours, which is 100 days at 5 hours per evening. COLORS CFLs are produced in varying shades of white:
The "K" numbers denote the Color Temperature in Kelvin s. Color temperature is a Quantitative measure. The higher the number, the "cooler", i.e. bluer, the shade. CFLs are also produced, less commonly, in other colors:
CFLs are an efficient source of "long wave" Ultraviolet light, dozens of times more efficient than incandescent "blacklight" bulbs. Being a Gas Discharge Lamp , a CFL will not generate all frequencies of visible light; the actual Color Rendering Index is a design compromise (see below). With less than perfect color rendering, CFLs can be unsatisfactory for inside lighting, but modern, high quality designs are proving acceptable for home use. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS CFLs contain trace amounts of Mercury . The amount is not large enough to pose a hazard to users, but it does become a concern at landfills, where the mercury from many bulbs escapes and contributes to air and water Pollution . Safe disposal requires storing the bulbs unbroken until they can be processed. Consumers should seek advice from local authorities. Usually, one can either
The first step of processing involves crushing the bulbs in a machine that uses Negative Pressure ventilation and a mercury-absorbing filter to contain and treat the contaminated gases. Many municipalities are purchasing such machines. The crushed glass and metal is stored in drums, ready for shipping to recycling factories. Note that Coal Power Plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions into the Environment . According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), (when coal power is used) the mercury released from powering an incandescent bulb for five years exceeds the sum of the mercury released by powering a comparably luminous CFL for the same period and the mercury contained in the lamp. {Link without Title} HOW THEY WORK Parts ]] There are two main parts to a CFL: the gas-filled tube (also called bulb or burner) and the magnetic or electronic ballast. Electrical energy in the form of an electrical current from the ballast flows through the gas, causing it to give off Ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light then excites a white Phosphor coating on the inside of the tube. This coating emits visible light. CFLs that flicker when they start have magnetic ballasts; CFLs with electronic ballasts are now much more common. See Fluorescent Lamp . End of life Both the ballast and the burner are subject to failure from normal use. In low-quality CFLs, high temperatures often cause the ballast electronics to fail before the burners. In high-quality CFLs, the burners almost always fail first. The burners fail due to cracks and imperfect seals and due to electrode decomposition (from vaporization of the metal). High-quality driver electronics can prolong the life of the burners by preheating the electrodes to prevent damage from rapid expansion. High-quality drivers require high-quality components. The best CFL manufacturers (including Osram , Philips , General Electric and Luxlite ) produce CFLs that can last 15,000 hours. Such lifetimes require highly automated and controlled manufacturing. At end of life, CFLs should be recycled by specialist firms. In the European Union, CFL lamps are one of many products subject to the WEEE recycling scheme. The retail price includes an amount to pay for recycling, and manufacturers and importers have an obligation to collect and recycle CFL lamps. Design compromises and challenges Apart from durability, the primary purpose of good CFL design is high electrical efficiency. These are some other areas of interest:
OTHER CFL TECHNOLOGIES Another type of CFL is the Radiofluorescent lamp (RFL), which uses Radio Wave s instead of an electric current to ionize the mercury to produce the Ultraviolet Light used to excite the Phosphor s. Another variant is coated (inside the bulb) with Titanium Dioxide , which the manufacturer claims reduces Odor s by Ionization and Oxidation . The Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light (CCFL) is one of the newest forms of CFL. CCFLs produce less heat, are more energy efficient, are more compact, and last longer than conventional CFLs. EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE ADOPTION The public has been slow to transition from incandescent blubs to CFLs. Consumers expect a much faster Rate Of Return on investments that reduce costs than on investments that pay earnings. For example, most people would consider a rental property that paid for itself (and its interest costs) in 10 years to be a good investment. However, people are reluctant to buy CFLs despite their 3- to 12-month payback period. Also, lighting is often installed by ''disinterested'' parties (i.e. contractors who do not pay for the electricity for that lighting). Consequently, governments have attempted to encourage CFL use by handing them out free and by appealing to people's morals. Controversially, some in Britain have lobbied . (For the BBC article, see here . For a viewpoint that opposes governments intervening to secure appliance efficiency, see here .) GALLERY OF CFLS |
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