Comparison of Technologies for New Energy-Efficient Lamps

Energy-efficient light bulbs are being developed to replace the incandescent lamp where they can satisfy the design criteria and be used in sockets that have long hours of annual use. The four technologies discussed here include the compact fluorescent lamp, coated-filament lamp, electrodeless fluorescent lamp, and compact high-intensity discharge lamp. The systems demonstrate efficacy improvements of two to four times that of their incandescent counterparts. These new lamps have required considerable advances in lamp technology. They offer the potential for achieving efficacies close to 80 lumens per watt.

These new lamps will reduce the energy used annually by incandescent lamps (190 BkWh) by more than 50% in the 1990s, at which times they will be commonly employed.