Fluorescent Lighting

Fluorescent lighting is the most energy efficient lighting suited to widespread domestic use.

Fluorescent lighting can look good if chosen and installed well. But the all too common choice of a bare bulbed butt ugly glowstart fitting in the centre of the room with a tube chosen at random is a recipe for unpleasant lighting.

Types of fluorescent lighting

• Linear fluorescent have been with us since the 1930s.

• CFL compact fluorescent lamps are thinner tube lamps which run at higher output than traditional tubes. They are commonly found with integral ballasts in the bulb base designed to replace filament bulbs, but are also available to run from separate ballasts in the luminare.

• Circline tubes are a variation on the theme popular in the 1960s, and occasionally still used in homes.

• Miniature tubes have found use in emergency exit signs, torches, and small displays.

• HO high output and VHO very high output tubes are used in aquaria where high lighting density is required. These tubes have lower efficiency than standard tubes.

• CCFL cold cathode fluorescents are very thin tubes that backlight LCD monitor