These new, environmentally friendly light bulbs come in a range of styles and tones.
Given that, in the average household, lighting accounts for around 5% of energy use and 16% of greenhouse gas emissions, it's no surprise that standard incandescent light bulbs are to be phased out by 2010.
Spectrum Lighting provides new range of compact fluorescent light bulbs. These environmentally friendly light bulbs come in a range of styles and tones.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs are starting to be used in more and more households and are an ideal alternative lighting option. These bulbs use about one-fifth of the energy used to produce the same amount of light in an incandescent bulb and have a life of around 8000 hours compared with 1000 hours for a normal bulb. Jason McCoy of Spectrum Lighting said that the domestic incandescent bulbs can be replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs.
The styles and sizes of compact fluorescent light bulbs closely replicate those of standard incandescent bulbs. There are globe shapes, floodlight styles and candelabra styles, as well as spiral tube, double tube and triple tube varieties.
The latest style is the compact fluorescent tubes that fit into a normal downlight fitting. These are available in 9 watt, 11 watt and now 13 watt versions. A 13 watt bulb would be equal to a 50 watt halogen bulb.
While older versions of compact fluorescent bulbs tended to throw out the cool white light of traditional fluorescent lights, newer types come in tones including warm white and daylight and produce the same colours as standard incandescent bulbs.
There are a few things to be mindful of when it comes to compact fluorescent light bulbs. They shouldn't be used with dimmer switches, as dimming will cause lamp failure. Those who prefers a dimmer light, can try using lower wattage compact fluorescent light bulbs instead, which will achieve the desired effect and save money and energy.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs also contain small amounts of the toxic metal mercury, which can be released if the bulb is broken. These bulbs are more expensive than standard incandescent bulbs, but because they last longer they represent good value.
At this stage, there are no government rebates given to businesses or home owners who use compact fluorescent bulbs in bulk, but this may change soon.