When you’re hot you’re hot
… And CFLs are not. Here’s why the bulbs generate less heat than your standard incandescents.
We’ve been warning customers not to place compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in recessed fixtures unless the bulbs are rated for that use. We’ve also been telling customers that CFLs generate less heat than their incandescent cousins. Those two seemingly contradictory statements prompted a question from a customer about why the recessed-fixture warning is necessary if CFLs generate less heat.
Here’s the answer: CFLs do generate some heat, just not nearly as much as an incandescent bulb. So putting a CFL in an enclosed fixture is not recommended . The build-up of heat in an enclosed space can cause CFLs to burn out early.
The GE Lighting Web site offers a good explanation of the difference between incandescent and CFLs in heat generation:
“Regular light bulbs, known as incandescent bulbs, create light by heating a filament inside the bulb; the heat makes the filament white-hot, producing the light that you see. Halogen light bulbs create light through the same method. Because incandescent and halogen bulbs create light through heat, about 90% of the energy they emit is in the form of heat (also called infrared radiation). To reduce the heat emitted by regular incandescent and halogen light bulbs, use a lower watt bulb (like 60 watts instead of 100).
“Fluorescent light bulbs use an entirely different method to create light. Both compact fluorescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes contain a gas that, when excited by electricity, hits a coating inside the fluorescent bulb and emits light. (This makes them far more energy-efficient than regular incandescent bulbs.) The fluorescent bulbs used in your home emit only around 30% of the heat of their equivalent incandescent bulb, making them far cooler.”
Pretty cool, all right.
CFLs that are approved for use in enclosed fixtures are available in most stores that sell bulbs and fixtures.
