What are Compact Fluorescent light bulbs?
Can you please explain why compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are more energy efficient?
The Expert Answer:
Incandescent bulbs were invented over a hundred years ago. They were a great step forward from whale oil lamps, but were not very efficient at converting electricity into light. In fact, most of the electricity used by an incandescent bulb is turned directly into heat – not light. This is why you burn your fingers if you try to unscrew a lightbulb when it is on. CFL’s use electricity to “excite” a gas in a small glass tube. This process makes the same amount of light with about 1/5th the electricity. CFL’s can save lots of electricity in your home and last many times longer than your old bulbs. One thing to be aware of though, is that when they do wear out (in 5-10 years), dispose of them properly because they contain small amounts of stuff like mercury that would not be good to put in a land-fill.
February 29, 2008 at 5:44 pm :: Comments to date:
