subject: What Are Spiral Light Bulbs? [print this page] Author: Art Icklewright Author: Art Icklewright
Since the EU ruling of September 2009 to phase out incandescent bulbs, the domestic consumer needs to find effective energy saving alternatives. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) have been available for some time now in a number of forms, and are proving to be a good alternative and money-saving investment. Spiral light bulbs / spiral lamps are gas discharge lamps on a small scale i.e. they are spiral-shaped fluorescent tube lamps. This means that the light isnt produced using a heated filament, but from a phosphor that gives off a visible glow when exposed to short wave UV light the UV light results from a reaction caused by passing electricity through mercury vapour (mercury atoms). Despite mercury being used in these bulbs, it is literally only in trace amounts and is likely to be a lot lower than other traditional bulbs you may already be using in the home. Spiral bulbs are integrated versions of their larger predecessors i.e. they already combine the tube, and the necessary electronic ballast all in one compact unit. Spiral lamps are compatible with your existing fittings i.e. they have traditional bases bayonet, Edison screw etc. What isnt traditional about them is their high efficacy. For example, a 7 watt spirallight bulbcan give the same output as a 35 watt incandescent bulb, a 9 watt spiral lamp is equivalent in output to a 45 watt incandescent bulb, and an 11 watt spiral lamp will give the same out put as a 60 watt incandescent bulb. In fact they could give you an 80% power saving per lamp, produce much lower amounts of greenhouse gases than old incandescent bulbs, and can last 8000 hours. The small spiral shaped tube of the lamp means that there is actually a good sized surface area for light output, albeit in a small physical space. Modern technology means that spiral lamps are more compact and less obtrusive than incandescent bulbs they wont protrude out of a shade for example.About the Author:
