Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) buyer guide

All about compact fluorescent lamps

In the last few years, energy saving lamps have become increasingly popular due to their improved performance. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are more efficient than incandescent lamps because they need less power and have a longer life.

You may think that CFL's lack the control and quality of light that incandescent globes provide, however new technology now gives Compact Fluorescent Lamps significant advantages.

Advantages include:

• CFLs need less power but have a longer life.
• CFLs contain an increased quality of light comparable to old globe quality.
• New technology makes it possible to dim CFLs However you cannot dim all CFLs There are two different dimming technologies; usual dimmable CFLs and switch dimmable CFLs

If you want a dimmable lamp you need a purpose built CFL. It's important to check the information on the packaging to ensure you buy the right globe.

If you decide to have a standard dimmable Compact Fluorescent Lamp, you can buy a lamp from the Megaman Dimmerable Series, or perhaps you would simply like take a look at the The Megaman DorS Dimming series.

Dimmerable lamps have a range of 10% to 100% and they dim perfectly smoothly with most incandescent dimmer circuits and dimmer switches. In particular, Megaman Dimmerable Energy Saving Lamps are compatible with most types of dimmer switches and dimmer systems.

If you want to avoid installing a dimmer circuit you should get a switch dimmable light. You can dim the light by switching the on/off bottom. The Megaman Dors Dimming series has the 4 step dimming of Megaman Energy Saving Lamps on almost any standard (On/Off) switches. You can choose between a brightness of 100%, 66% 33% and 5%.

Note though, if you try to use a non-dimming CFL in a dimming circuit it won't work efficiently and the life of the lamp will be much shorter. You also may not be able to claim the warranty back (depending on the manufacturers terms and conditions of their warranty).

Costs

Dimmable CFLs are three to five times more expensive than non-dimming CFLs This is because they require much more electronic circuitry. It also makes them bulkier then normal CLF's.

Types of dimmers

There are different sorts of dimmers on the market. For dimmable CFLs you should use either leading-edge electronic dimmers or trailing-edge electronic dimmers. You should always buy the correct lamp for the type of dimmer you have.

Most lamps will also work with the wrong circuit, however not efficiently. Results may be noisy and the functionality could be limited.

An alternative dimmer type is the rheostat dimmer, however it is not compatible with any CFL.

Difference between dimmable CFLs and incandescent lamps

The biggest difference between incandescent and CFL dimmable lamps is that you can dim the incandescent down to zero, but CFLs only to 10-20 percent. The reason behind this difference is that there must be an arc between the lamps cathodes, and for an arc to occur a certain amount of current needs to be present.

We hope you found this information helpful. Please feel free to contact OzLighting if you have any further questions regarding Compact Fluorescent Lamps.

Further reading

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