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Energy Efficiency – Fluorescent Lighting

Lee Layton, P.E.


Course Outline

The course begins with a review of the U.S lighting market in various sectors such as residential, commercial, industrial, and outdoor lighting.  Chapter two covers the fundamentals of lighting including how light is transmitted, reflected, and how color is discerned.  Chapter three discusses how Fluorescent lamps work and the factors that influence their operation.  Chapter four discusses the various applications of Fluorescent lamps and finally Chapter five covers a few of the environmental concerns with Fluorescent lamps.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

After taking this course you should:

Intended Audience

This course is intended for anyone who wants to understand how Fluorescents lamps operate and are used in the energy markets.

Benefit to Attendees

Fluorescent lamps continue to be a mainstay of lighting in commercial markets and the residential market has grown tremendously in the past several years due to the advent of the CFL.  This course will give the reader a good understanding of how fluorescents operate; how to read a fluorescent label; and the types of applications that are best suited for fluorescent lamps.

Course Introduction

Fluorescent lamps are the mainstay of commercial lighting.  Over 80% of lighting in commercial and industrial applications is creating using fluorescent light sources.  A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a very low pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful light much more efficiently than incandescent lamps.  Fluorescent lamps use approximately one-fourth of the energy used by incandescent lamps to provide the same amount of illumination and they also last about 10 times longer.

An electric current excites a mercury vapor gas which produces short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce; producing visible light. Fluorescent lamps require a ballast to regulate operating current and provide a high start-up voltage. Electronic ballasts outperform standard and improved electromagnetic ballasts by operating at a very high frequency that eliminates flicker and noise. Electronic ballasts also are more energy-efficient. Special ballasts are needed to allow dimming of fluorescent lamps.

The luminous efficacy of a compact fluorescent light bulb is about 60 lumens per watt; four times the efficacy of a typical incandescent bulb. For conventional tube fluorescent lamps the fixture is more costly because it requires a heavy ballast to regulate the current through the lamp; but the lower energy cost typically offsets the higher initial cost.  The compact fluorescent light's ballast is contained in the base of the bulb; where the frequency of the AC current is boosted electronically to 60 kilohertz. At this frequency only a very small ballast is needed.

In this course we will look at the overall lighting market in the United States; discuss the concepts of lighting in general and then cover the basics of fluorescent lighting.  Finally we will cover the application of fluorescents in the marketplace.

Course Content

This course content is in the following PDF document:

Energy Efficiency – Fluorescent Lighting

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Course Summary

Because of their efficiency; light out; and relatively low cost of acquisition; fluorescent lamps will remain the leading lighting source for commercial and industrial applications for many years.  Even though LEDs are making inroads into this market; the economics continue to favor the fluorescent lamp.

In addition to the commercial and industrial markets; fluorescent lamps have been penetrating the residential market; especially with CFL’s.  Fluorescent lamps are available in a variety of styles and color outputs giving them wide latitude in meeting a lighting need.

Fluorescent lamps do create a mercury waste; though for CFL’s at least; the overall impact is less than from an equivalent incandescent lamp.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.