Energy Efficient Light Bulb Light Quality Equal to Incandescent
Compact fluorescent light bulbs have gotten a bad rap with regard to their light quality. Early on when CFLs were just becoming available to consumers, the technology was not yet perfected and the light bulbs were prone to flickering, poor light quality, and lifetimes less than advertised. Because of these early downfalls, many people gained negative impressions and made no effort to change them as compact fluorescent technology improved.
Current compact fluorescent light bulbs have addressed nearly all of these issues, and while the stigma of energy efficient light bulbs is slowly going away, it remains for a lot of people. A study conducted in New Zealand should help change that. Around 850 purchasers of CFLs participated in a test to see whether or not people could tell the difference between the light of compact fluorescent light bulbs and that of incandescents. The results are promising for CFLs.
The "RightLight Challenge" involved two booths lit by hidden light bulbs. In one booth, the light emanated from incandescent light bulbs. In the other booth, compact fluorescent light bulbs did their duty. Around 68% of the participants of the study believed before viewing the booths that they would be able to tell the difference, but it turned out that less than 30% were actually able to do so. Even that 30% was probably just people guessing.
This shows that compact fluorescent technology has come a long way. No longer are they plagued by flickering; while the technology necessitates flickering, it is no longer perceptible by the human eye. The light quality of CFLs is also vastly improved, and indistinguishable from that of incandescents. Color temperatures have been fine tuned so that the light color is the same as incandescents as well. All in all the study reinforced the fact that CFLs of today have greatly improved on older versions, and are great replacements for incandescent light bulbs.
About the Author:
Written by Blair E. and originally submitted to ArticlesBase.com.
