I know we all try to be as energy conscious as possible but none of us like sitting in the dark - especially if you’re like me who enjoys doing crossword puzzles as the radio or TV blares across the room.

So, I had a BRIGHT (pun) idea to write about a light bulb.

Yet, using the right bulb in your lamp can make a big difference.

Let’s face it. Rarely do we think about bulbs, in general. As long as the base of the bulb fits the base of our lamp, and the wattage is correct, we’re happy. Right?

Well, GE has a great bulb out that isn’t the harsh incandescent that we’re all used to using. Those incandescent lights can use up more electrical power than you’d imagine.

By switching to a fluorescent light bulb, you’d actually save quite a bit of energy - not to mention a nice savings on your electrical bill, too.

The problem is that all too often, you can’t find a fluorescent bulb with a base wide enough for your lamps. Folks - your search is over and your problems are solved!

GE makes a SOFT WHITE SPIRAL 13W Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb that is not just easy on your eyes but easy on your wallet.

First let’s talk about the wattage. You’d normally think that 13 watts would be extremely dim since most appliance light bulbs are about 25 watts. What you need to keep in mind is that those small bulbs you put in your refrigerator, freezer or oven, are incandescent bulbs.

Incandescent bulbs create light when an electrical current passes through and heating a thin filament. The glass prevents oxygen from reaching the heated filament thereby allowing it to glow.

The larger the filament (or wattage), the more heat - the more heat, the brighter the bulb.

With the fluorescent bulb, the electricity stimulates the mercury vapor within certain gasses that, in short, produces short-wave ultraviolet light which in turn, causes the phosphor to fluoresce. This is what causes the lamp or bulb to light.

Again, the high wattage, the brighter the light will be - but the bulb still remains cooler than the incandescent would be.

The fluorescent, because it uses more gas and less electricity is more expensive to buy but it lasts longer and is cheaper to use.

Why does it last longer? It lasts longer because it uses gasses rather than a wire filament, which burns hot and quickly burns out. The gasses in the fluorescent burn cooler and therefore last longer.

I’ve noticed a few things using my Spiral 13w bulb.

First of all, after inserting it in the lamp, when I turn the lamp on, the bulb takes about 2 seconds to illuminate. The incandescent will illuminate immediately.

The fluorescent emits a soft glow where the incandescent is much stronger and harder on the eyes.

The fluorescent, even at 13 watts, is bright enough to use for my reading, crosswords and in the lamp on my nightstand where a soft but bright light is needed.

The bulb hosts a medium screw base that is standard for most lamps and light fixtures.

The 13-watt bulb # 16460 is rated for a life span of 8000 hours. (Try getting that out of an incandescent bulb)

Since it runs on gas and burns cooler, it uses less electricity and there is energy saving.

While fluorescent bulbs do come in a variety of sizes and wattages, mine is the T3 - 13-watt spiral. It measures just under five inches high and as I said, will fit any standard lamp or light fixture.

This price of this bulb was about $4.50 plus tax. Yes, that’s a big increase in cost - yet, the bulb is well worth the price. It lasts longer, uses less electricity and is much easier on the eyes.

A definite plus for any home. I even have one in my desk lamp and can’t begin to tell you how fewer headaches I get while sitting at my computer.

I’ll be replacing every light bulb I have as they burn out. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know what bulb will be replacing them.


Thanks for reading.


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