Save with Compact Fluorescent Lamps
A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also known as a compact fluorescent light or energy saving light (or less commonly as a compact fluorescent tube), is a type of fluorescent lamp. Many CFLs are designed to replace an incandescent lamp and can fit into most existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents.
Compared to general service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use less power and have a longer rated life. In the United States, a CFL has a higher purchase price than an incandescent lamp, but can save over $30 in electricity costs over the lamp's life time. Combined with our other energy management offerings hotels and other commercial buildings can reduce electric bills by 30% to 50%. Contact us for more information.
Improved phosphor formulations have improved the subjective color of the light emitted by CFLs such that when Popular Mechanics tested the quality of light from several CFLs against that of standard incandescent lamps, all of the CFLs showed superior light quality. The most important technical advance has been the replacement of electromagnetic ballasts with electronic ballasts; this has removed most of the flickering and slow starting traditionally associated with fluorescent lighting.
Lifespan
The average rated life of a CFL is between 8 and 15 times that of incandescents. CFLs typically have a rated lifespan of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, where as incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a lifespan of 750 hours or 1,000 hours. Some incandescent bulbs with long lifetime ratings have been able to trade efficiency for lifespan, slightly reducing light output to significantly improve the rated life.
Energy efficiency
Heating and cooling
If a building's indoor incandescent lamps are replaced by CFLs, the heat produced due to lighting will be reduced. At times when the building requires both heating and lighting, the heating system will make up the heat. If the building requires both illumination and cooling, then CFLs also reduce the load on the cooling system compared to incandescent lamps, resulting in two concurrent savings in electrical power. Overall energy cost saving depends on the climate; increased heating energy demand offsets some of the lighting energy saved.
Cost
While the purchase price of an integrated CFL is typically 3 to 10 times greater than that of an equivalent incandescent lamp, the extended lifetime and lower energy use will more than compensate for the higher initial cost. A US article stated "A household that invested $90 in changing 30 fixtures to CFLs would save $440 to $1,500 over the five-year life of the bulbs, depending on your cost of electricity. Look at your utility bill and imagine a 12% discount to estimate the savings."
CFLs are extremely cost-effective in commercial buildings when used to replace incandescent lamps. Using average U.S. commercial electricity and gas rates for 2006, a 2008 article found that replacing each 75 W incandescent lamp with a CFL resulted in yearly savings of $22 in energy usage, reduced HVAC cost, and reduced labor to change lamps. The incremental capital investment of $2 per fixture is typically paid back in about one month. Savings are greater and payback periods shorter in regions with higher electric rates and, to a lesser extent, also in regions with higher than U.S. average cooling requirements.
Efforts to encourage adoption
More controversially, some governments are considering stronger measures to entirely displace incandescents. These measures include taxation, or bans on production of incandescent light bulbs that do not meet energy efficiency requirements. Australia,Canada, and the US have already announced plans for nationwide efficiency standards that would constitute an effective ban on most current incandescent bulbs.
At the meeting of the Ecodesign Regulatory Committee in Brussels on December 8, 2008, the European Union Member States experts approved the European Commission's proposals for a regulation progressively phasing out incandescent bulbs starting in 2009 and finishing at the end of 2012. By switching to energy saving bulbs, EU citizens will apparently save almost 40 TW·h (almost the electricity consumption of 11 million European households), which may lead to a reduction of about 15 million metric tons of CO2emission per year.
The United States Department of Energy reports that sales of CFLs have dropped between 2007 and 2008, and estimated only 11% of suitable domestic light sockets use CFLs.
Labeling programs
In the United States and Canada, the Energy Star program labels compact fluorescent lamps that meet a set of standards for starting time, life expectancy, color, and consistency of performance. The intent of the program is to reduce consumer concerns due to variable quality of products. Those CFLs with a recent Energy Star certification start in less than one second and do not flicker. There is ongoing work in improving the 'quality' (color rendering index) of the light.
In the United Kingdom a similar program is run by the Energy Saving Trust to identify lighting products that meet energy conservation and performance guidelines.
Combined with our other energy management offerings hotels and other commercial buildings can reduce electric bills by 30% to 50%. Contact us for more information at www.tehranigroup.com .
Tehrani Group LLC
Construction - Renovation - FF&E
www.TehraniGroup.com 407-295-3969
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