March 2016

ENERGY TOPICS

UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Compact Fluorescent Lamps

WET is a monthly Compact fluorescent lamps/bulbs, commonly referred to as CFLs. newsletter that CFLs produce light differently than incandescent bulbs. In an brings you latest incandescent, electric current runs through a wire filament and heats water and energy the filament until it starts to glow. In a CFL, an electric current is information. driven through a tube containing argon and a small amount of mercury For more vapor. This generates invisible ultraviolet light that excites a information, fluorescent coating (called phosphor) on the inside of the tube, which please contact: then emits visible light. Yilin Zhuang, Ph.D. [email protected] CFLs need a little more energy when they are first turned on, but once 2232 NE Jacksonville Rd. the electricity starts moving, CFLs use about 70% less energy than Ocala, FL 34470 incandescent bulbs. A CFL’s ballast helps "kick start" the CFL and then (352) 671-8400 regulates the current once the electricity starts flowing. This entire (352) 671-8400 Fax process typically takes 30 seconds to 3 minutes to complete, which is why CFLs take longer than other lights to become fully lit. Compact Fluorescent Lamps

CFLs cost less than regular incandescent lighting in three ways. • CFLs consume significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs. To produce the same brightness, an ENERGY STAR–certified CFL uses only about ¼ of the energy that an incandescent bulb uses. • By using ENERGY STAR–certified CFLs, you'll save on air conditioning costs because they generate ¾ less heat than regular incandescent bulbs. • An ENERGY STAR–certified CFL lasts up to 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. This means fewer bulbs to purchase and fewer trips to the store, saving you both the time and the travel costs you would normally spend on replacing burned-out incandescent bulbs.

Let's compare an incandescent bulb and a CFL with the same light output. A 60-watt bulb does not necessarily provide more illumination than a 15-watt bulb. Why? Because watts measure energy use while lumens measure light output. Lumen information appears on bulb packaging. For example, a 60-watt incandescent bulb produces about 800 lumens. You can replace this 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 15-watt CFL and get the same amount of lumens (light output), but the CFL will use 45 watts less energy. A 800-lumen incandescent light bulb costs about $1.00, but total cost including energy cost for 25,000 hours of use is about $205.00. The same condition for a CFL and a LED is $44.00 and $33.50 respectively, which is five times less than an incandescent light bulb. To know more about estimated CFLs and cost comparison, please click here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY103100.pdf.