Power Usage: Fluorescent Vs. Incandescent

Compact fluorescent light bulbs use less energy than incandescent bulbs.

If you've shopped for light bulbs lately, you probably notice a couple of new choices: incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Incandescent bulbs are the older, globe-like bulbs, while CFLs look like winding glass tubes.

Power Usage

A CFL uses significantly less power than a traditional incandescent bulb. An incandescent bulb requires 60 watts of power to produce the same amount of light as a CFL, which requires only 13 watts.

Life Expectancy

CFLs can absorb significantly more power than incandescent bulbs before they burn out. As such, CFLs can last up to 10,000 hours in the "on" position, which is 10 times longer than the average incandescent bulb.

Savings

Based on their power usage, switching from all incandescent bulbs to all CFLs could reduce your power usage in lighting fixtures by about 75 percent. As lighting accounts for almost 20 percent of the average home's electricity bill, switching to CFLs could save a significant amount of money.

References

• California Energy Commission: Consumer Energy Center
• EnergyStar: Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury