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Usage Of Fluorescent Tubes

Fluorescent light bulbs come in many shapes and sizes. An increasingly popular one is the compact fluorescent light bulb (CF). Many compact fluorescent lamps integrate the auxiliary electronics into the base of the lamp, allowing them to fit into a regular light bulb socket.

Residential use of fluorescent lighting remains low (generally limited to kitchens, basements, hallways and other areas), but schools and businesses find the cost savings of fluorescent lamps to be significant and only rarely use incandescent lights.

Lighting arrangements often use fluorescent tubes in an assortment of tints of white. Sometimes this is done due to failure to appreciate the difference or importance of differing tube types. Mixing tube types within fluorescent light fittings is also sometimes done to improve the color reproduction of lower quality tubes. Use is substantially higher and increasing in places such as California, where tax incentives exist, and environmental awareness are relatively high.

In other countries, residential use of fluorescent lighting varies depending on the price of energy, financial and environmental concerns of the local population, and acceptability of the light output. In East and Southeast Asia it is very rare to see incandescent bulbs in buildings anywhere.

In February 2007, Australia enacted a law that will ban most sales of incandescent light bulbs by 2010. While the law does not specify which alternative Australians are to use, compact fluorescent bulbs are likely to be the primary replacements. In April 2007, Canada announced a similar plan to phase out the sale of incandescent bulbs by 2012.