Factorylux has tried for several years to identify a viable low-energy filament light bulb. After many false dawns, we've seen the light. Here are the facts on the new Factorylux Eco-Filament light bulbs:
There are some differences between traditional filament and Eco-Filament bulbs. The filament itself is a glass tube and not as fine as tungsten wire. And the glass tube does not dim exactly like traditional filaments - the colour temperature does not decrease as the brightness decreases - and the colour render rendering is not quite as good as traditional incandescent.
The bulbs also have a non-decorative plastic ballast housing or base which contains the advanced micro-electronics which power the bulbs. However, the Factorylux team has designed and engineered a lamp holder skirt which covers the base of the Eco-Filaments. The skirts can be retro-fitted to existing Factorylux E27 lamp holders or bought with new E27 lamp holders.
The choice of traditional filament or Eco-Filament is a matter of personal preference and intended use. There is no right or wrong solution, but an an Eco-Filament bulb gives five times the life and an almost 90% reduction in energy consumption for a little over twice the price of conventional filament.
The aesthetic performance might not be as good as conventional filament, but the economics are compelling: it costs just 1.4 pence per day to run an Eco-Filament Pear for six hours a day and 1.6 pence per day to run an Eco-Filament Globe for six hours day. Both figures take account of the purchase price spread over the 25,000 hour life and the average UK domestic electricity price of 14.05 pence per kWh.
- pear shape bulbs in standard bayonet (B22 or BC) and standard screw (E27 or ES) caps
- large globe bulbs with standard screw (E27 or ES) caps
- compatible with existing lamp holders and light fittings
- one eighth of the energy consumption of 60W filament bulbs and exceeds all applicable UK and EU standards for ecodesign and electromagnetic interference
- rated A for energy consumption - 7.7W and 350 lumen for the pear, and 7.9W and 400 lumen for the large globe
- high colour render, warm white light and dimmable - see the compatible dimmer list here
- uses ultra-reliable narrow diameter CFL technology used for aerospace and medical display screen backlighting
- bulb life is 25,000 hours or more than 20 years of use at 3 hours per day
- tested over 50,000 switching cycles
There are some differences between traditional filament and Eco-Filament bulbs. The filament itself is a glass tube and not as fine as tungsten wire. And the glass tube does not dim exactly like traditional filaments - the colour temperature does not decrease as the brightness decreases - and the colour render rendering is not quite as good as traditional incandescent.
The bulbs also have a non-decorative plastic ballast housing or base which contains the advanced micro-electronics which power the bulbs. However, the Factorylux team has designed and engineered a lamp holder skirt which covers the base of the Eco-Filaments. The skirts can be retro-fitted to existing Factorylux E27 lamp holders or bought with new E27 lamp holders.
The choice of traditional filament or Eco-Filament is a matter of personal preference and intended use. There is no right or wrong solution, but an an Eco-Filament bulb gives five times the life and an almost 90% reduction in energy consumption for a little over twice the price of conventional filament.
The aesthetic performance might not be as good as conventional filament, but the economics are compelling: it costs just 1.4 pence per day to run an Eco-Filament Pear for six hours a day and 1.6 pence per day to run an Eco-Filament Globe for six hours day. Both figures take account of the purchase price spread over the 25,000 hour life and the average UK domestic electricity price of 14.05 pence per kWh.
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