Fluorescent lamps use electricity to excite mercury vapor, which produces ultraviolet light that causes the phosphorescent coating to glow with visible light. They are more energy efficient and last longer than incandescent bulbs. The first commercial fluorescent lamps were manufactured by General Electric in 1938. The compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) was invented in the 1970s but became commercially available in the early 1980s. Fluorescent lamps are gaining popularity as awareness of energy conservation increases.
Fluorescent lamps produce light by using electricity to excite mercury vapor, which produces ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light, in turn, causes the phosphorescent coating of fluorescent lamps to fluoresce, or glow, with visible light. Fluorescent lamps are bulkier, more complex and more expensive than traditional incandescent light bulbs, but they are much more energy efficient and last longer, saving you money in the long run. Fluorescent lamps use a ballast to control the amount of electricity flowing through the lamp, as they only need a small amount to operate and would self-destruct with an uncontrolled flow.
American inventor Peter Cooper Hewitt patented the first mercury vapor lamp in 1901. The first commercial fluorescent lamps were manufactured by General Electric and appeared on the market in 1938. They were presented a year later at the Golden Gate Exposition and at the New York World’s Fair . General Electric was also granted the patent for the invention in 1939, though it was contested by Sylvania for years to follow. Fluorescent lamps gained popularity during World War II, and by 1951, more lighting was being produced in the United States from fluorescent lamps than from incandescent bulbs.
Until fairly recently, fluorescent lamps were only used in institutional buildings and large commercial buildings. The compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), suitable for home use, was invented in the 1970s and didn’t become commercially available until the early 1980s. However, when it first appeared on the market, the CFL was very expensive, the equivalent of US$30 today. The spiral design of most CFLs available today was invented by General Electric’s Edward Hammer in 1976, but it didn’t reach consumers until 1995.
Home use of fluorescent lamps is still low in most countries, but the idea is gaining popularity as awareness of energy conservation increases. Incandescent light bulbs are now very rare in East and Southeast Asia, and Australia and Canada have plans in place to phase out incandescent light bulbs within a few years. Fluorescent lamps can last 10 to 20 times longer than incandescent lamps, and current models produce a glow that is nearly indistinguishable from that of a traditional light bulb.
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