Little Bit of Green

Fluorescent vs. Incandescent? No contest!

Fluorescent lighting has been employed in work areas for many years because of the brightness and the flexibility it offers in terms of forms and sizes of fixtures. The advantages of this type of lighting have considerable importance in this day and age. This involves their enhanced design, the clarity of the light they make, and the decrease in cost when compared to other kinds of lighting. These same advantages have recently advanced the installation of fluorescent lighting in housing as well as the office. Learn more information on fluorescent light bulbs.

The bulbs designed for fluorescent lighting are made from glass tubes with compressed gases and a phosphorus coating. Once an electrical current is conducted in the tube, the reaction of the gases with the phosphorus produces light. The light produced by fluorescent bulbs is bright and white, which provides great color clarity. Another advantage of fluorescent lighting is it produces a small amount of heat compared to an incandescent light. This fact will be critical in areas that contain precision electronics, or in rooms which depend on air-conditioning to keep the ambient temperature at a comfortable level.

Even though refrigerators and air conditioners consume more power while running, much of the electrical usage in most houses is from the use of lighting since they are operating longer. Fluorescent lighting will consume three to five times less energy than would be used by incandescent bulbs. The bulbs employed in fluorescent lighting will usually last much longer than incandescent bulbs, frequently as much as 6 times longer. There are a lot of different kinds of fluorescent lighting available. They are currently existing in many unique configurations, and do not need to be the boxy industrial lights that were most prevalent in the past. Learn more information on contemporary track lights.

There are a few types of fluorescent lighting that resemble incandescent lighting in both appearance and the type of light that they put out. These are called compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs. CFLs use about 70% less energy, generate 70% less heat, last up to 10 times longer and provide the same amount of light as a traditional incandescent bulb. Besides saving energy, they are safer to install and come in many different configurations to fit most light fixtures. About the only drawback to the majority of these bulbs would be the inability to use a dimmer to regulate the light intensity.

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