Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFLs)

Compact Fluorescent lights (CFL), or energy savers, are an efficient alternative to traditional incandescent lighting. CFLs not only offer similar light quantity and quality, they use approximately 75 percent less energy. In addition to saving energy, CFLs can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lights, effectively reducing replacement costs. RCEA recommends becoming familiar with the CFL before upgrading your home or business.

Are CFLs as Bright as Incandescent Lights?

When we talk about the "brightness" of a given light source we are talking about the lumen output. In order to maintain light levels in your organization or residence it is important to buy a CFL that has an equal lumen output to the incandescent you are currently using. Most CFLs will have equivalent incandescent wattages and lumen output on their packaging. If you can't find the wattage equivalent or lumen output on the packaging, a good rule of thumb is that a CFL will use three quarters less energy to produce the same amount of light as the incandescent. 

Do CFLs have the Same Light Quality as Incandescents?

When talking about the quality of light, we use two concepts. The first is called Correlated Color Temperature (CCT). CCT is measured in degrees Kelvin and tells us what color the light will be. A lower CCT will have more oranges and reds in the spectrum. The incandescent lamp operates at a CCT of approximately 2700 degrees Kelvin and produces a warm light. Higher temperatures such as 6500k produce light with more blues in the spectrum. CFLs with a range CCTs can be purchased. These range from 2800 (Warm) to 6500 (Daylight) degrees Kelvin. When replacing your incandescent lights with CFLs, it is important to know the CCT of your replacement to ensure the quality of light is what fits the context of your use.

The second concept is called the Color Rendering Index (CRI). CRI describes how colored objects appear under a given light source. The index is measured on a scale from 1 to 100.  The lower the number the more "unnatural" the object will appear. A score of 100 is considered true or natural color under sunlight. A score of 80 or greater indicates excellent color rendering properties. Early fluorescent technologies had poor CRI properties and have lead to long term negative associations with CFLs. In fact, modern Energy Star CFLs score between 82-84 offering competitive color rendering properties to that of incandescent lighting. 

Will CFLs Have a Warm Up Time Period?

You will notice that some CFLs take a while to warm up. This is usually a result of the additive amalgam. Amalgam is used in CFLs with a wider temperature range. Often amalgam is used in enclosed bulbs like reflector floods, globes and A-Lamps. It is important to expect a warm up time period when using enclosed CFLs.  When using spring (twisty) CFLs, full brightness should occur within a few seconds. In cases such as extreme low temperatures, it may take a spring CFL time to self heat. In these cases a brief warm up time period should be expected.

Do CFLs Hum and Flicker?

Early fluorescent lights with magnetic ballasts were often associated with humming and flickering. The audible sound with the strobe effect has long been noted as a negative attribute to fluorescent lighting. With the advent of electronic ballasts, linear and compact fluorescent lighting offer sound and strobe free lighting.

What does Estimated Life Span Mean?

When you hear that a CFL should last for 8,000 or more hours, it is important to know how that number was arrived at. When discussing the longevity of CFLs, it is assumed that they are used for three hour cycles. In other words, the light is turned on and left on for three hours at a time. It has been found that rapid cycling, or cycles quicker  than three hours, shorten the life expectancy of CFLs. Users should know that if a CFL is placed in an area with quick cycles, like closets or bathrooms, the CFL may not last as long as the claims state.

Can I use CFLs Everywhere?

No, CFLs should not be used everywhere. Several important contraindications exist. They are:

• Rapid cycling
• Lights are on a dimmer switch or a three way
• Lights are controlled by: photocells, occupancy sensors, motion detectors etc.
• Lights are exposed to direct rainfall. 

Do CFLs Really Make a Difference?

CFLs are a cost effective, easy way to immediately reduce your home or businesses energy consumption. The Department of Energy's Energy Star program notes that "If every American home replaced just one light with an Energy Star light, we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year, about $700 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions of about 800,000 cars." Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) promotes the use of CFLs and encourages you to learn more about them. 

How do I Clean Up a Broken CFL?

Should you break a CFL, you should take the following steps. For a more in depth explanation CLICK HERE.

• Evacuate the area, turn off the central air, open a window and let the area air out for 15 minutes.
• For hard surfaces, first pick up glass fragments and place in a glass jar. Then use sticky tape, like duct tape, to pick up the remaining small glass pieces. Lastly, wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel. Place the towels and tape in the glass jar.
• For carpet, follow the first two steps. However, instead of using a towel use a vacuum if the tape didn't fully remove the small glass shards.
• Place clean-up materials outdoors for disposal.
• Wash your hands.

Can I Get Financial Help to Offset the Initial Cost of CFLs?

Redwood Coast Energy Watch (RCEW) offers free residential and commercial CFL sweeps. During our residential CFL sweeps, RCEW teams visit neighborhoods and offer to replace every incandescent they can for free. We are not currently taking household requests. Please call our office to learn when our sweep teams will be visiting your neighborhood.

RCEW's commercial CFL sweeps are served on request. If you would like to take advantage of our free commercial services, make sure to fill out and return one or all of our applications. Once we receive your service request, the RCEW team will send a technician to assist your business, free of cost with no obligation