understanding lighting

[cbgb]

i have read a lot of posts on here and i am a little confused. any thoughts , ideas or facts are welcome.......


cfl v regular joe bulb (incandescent)

i have in my hand a 75w cfl .................my understanding is that you get 75 watts while using only 20 watts of power (energy smart) it is warm 2700k and brightness of 1250 lumens so many threads and posts are saying no that's not the case..........

here is some info ~ so if i purchased a Feit Electric 42-Watt (200W) Daylight Twist CFL Light Bulb replaces ordinary 200 watt bulbs while using only 42 watts .This energy saving bulb give a daylight glow that enhances color and stimulates natural light. It can last up to 8000 hours.

they way i read this is, that i get 200 watts using only 42 watts (energy smart)
anyone ? pre- thanks !!

 

[Gordongardena]

Hi, the large wattage number is only the comparative wattage of an incandescent bulb if it were the same brightness.

Your Cfl bulb uses 20 watts of power to become as bright as a 75 watt traditional household bulb.

The incandescent bulb heats up tungsten until it glows white hot, producing heat and light.

The light from a traditional incandescent bulb, however, has the wrong balance of light to grow plants.

Cfls produce light that plants can use efficiently and they do not produce much heat at the light source, only at the ballast.

 

[cbgb]

thanks Gg , so , bottom line is that ~ i am getting 75 watts bright bulb cfl using only 20watts of power.........

 

[Hosebomber]

NO, you are getting 20 watts of CFL lighting. Incandescent lights are about 3-4% efficient at converting power to light. CFL's are ~23%. Please read over the sticky post in this thread or the link in my signature. It will help you out greatly.

 

[Antics]

The equivalent number that you have, 75 watts, is there so when a person decides to replace their incandescent bulb with an energy saving CFL bulb, they can choose a light that will be similar in brightness.

And that's where it stops.

Incandescent bulbs cannot grow plants, so that higher "equivalent" number is completely useless for our purposes. There is no relation between Incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs when it comes to growing. One works, one does not.

When it comes to growing, comparing Incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs is the same as comparing a brick to an orange. Absolutely no relation.