Reflector CFLs: Friend or Foe?

J. J. McCullough and Linda Sandahl, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Keywords

Abstract

A project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (Alliance), and implemented by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), aims to improve the performance of reflector type (R-lamp) compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and increase their availability in the Northwest and throughout the United States by means of a technology development and procurement strategy.

R-lamps are increasingly common in homes across the United States, used in recessed downlights, track lights, and surface-mounted flood light fixtures. An estimated 120 to 140 million R-lamps are sold each year, nearly all of them with incandescent light sources drawing from 65 to 100 watts of power per lamp.

The huge success of CFLs in the market over the last 5 to 10 years has led to a proliferation of compact fluorescent technology in lamps of many differing types and wattages. However, reflector CFLs have been slow to catch on. While the market transformation community has embraced reflector CFLs, there are serious concerns about their performance and longevity when used in recessed downlight fixtures installed in insulated ceilings, especially with airtight housings (ICAT). Ambient temperatures increase dramatically which directly impacts light output and significantly reduces lamp life. PNNL has developed prescriptive specifications and performance-based testing including both short-term testing to directly measure steady-state ballast component temperatures, as well as full lamp life testing at the temperatures experienced in ICAT housings. This paper describes project results to date.