Can I use European Light Bulb in the states?

I was recently asked by a customer who is looking at the Philips European LED Light Bulbs if he could use them in the states. The simple answer is no. These bulbs are made for European voltage which is 240 and our voltage is 120 to 130. Honestly, I'm not even sure if it will work at all.

If he was looking at an incandescent, it would probably work but would be half as bright. So, what's the point in paying twice as much for the energy consumed? You wouldn't do it.

The fact of the matter is that Europe has made restrictions on the lighting industry much faster than the states has and as a result the manufacturers have been inventing new light bulbs based around their needs. Now, once a bulb is created for Europe, it's just a matter of time before we will have the same thing available here in the states. We just have to be more patient.

Now, I don't want to confuse you but there are certain European light bulbs that are made to work with fixtures that we can use in the states. But usually you will be purchasing the fixture with the light bulb already in it and you'll be able to seek out that bulb. It's those of us that are wanting to fit the new technology in our system that have to be careful.

Holly Eddins

We need a CFL bulb in 220 Volt.....

We are looking for a compact fluorescent light bulb that will work in a 220. We can not speak for every manufacturer out there but as far as Philips is concerned, the cfl bulbs are all made to use with 120 volt. If you need a 220 volt bulb, you'll need to look at European bulbs which Light Bulb Market can help you with.

Holly Eddins

What are light bulb bases made of?

Light Bulb screw in bases are made of three different materials: Aluminum, Brass and Nickel Plated Brass. The most economical way to manufacture these is with aluminum but it isn't intended for bulbs used in certain situations.

Any of the long life bulbs or ones that come in contact with outdoor elements(or humidity), should be made of brass or nickel plated brass as these are corrosive resistant materials. You should also choose a bulb with these materials in the base if you have a problem with the base sticking in the socket or where it's difficult to replace the light bulb.

Holly Eddins

How do Halogen Light Bulbs work?

Halogen light bulbs are commonly referred to as incandescent light bulbs. Technically they are the same. BUT Halogen light bulbs are brighter in light for the same wattage, the color is a whiter color and they typically last longer. Halogens bulbs also run hotter than incandescent equivalents.

The filament in a halogen bulb is actually thinner than the one described in our post on how an incandescent light bulb works. The biggest difference is that this filament is enclosed in a glass capsule. This capsule traps the gases that are emitted that end up on an incandescent bulb's glass and keeps it within the small are. This keeps these bulbs brighter and cleaner than their sister incandescents.

Because the gas is trapped in the glass capsule it often re-adheres to the filament keeping it strong. But eventually it does wear down like in incandescent light bulbs and thus becomes the end of the life of a halogen.

Holly Eddins

How does an Incandescent Light Bulb work?

The workings of an incandescent light bulb are simple. An incandescent has a filament on the interior of the bulb that heats up when it is charged with an electrical current or electricity. This filament becomes very hot and thus the reason you can get burned if you touch an incandescent light bulb too soon after turning it off.

Over time, the filament will evaporate as it gets used. Two things will happen. The bulb will blacken up a bit and the filament gets weaker or gets used up. At this point, the bulb needs to be disposed of.

There are a couple of reasons why incandescent light bulbs have shorter lives than what they are designed for. The most common is when it endures abnormal power surges. If you live in an area that sends voltage to your home over 120 volts (which is by the way common. Avg voltage in a person's home is 124 volts.) the filament will get too hot too fast and thus evaporate that filament prematurely. In this example, you should be using a bulb that is 130 volts. Another less common reason is when an incandescent is used in areas where it gets shaken around a bit. This will weaken and break the filament. If you do have an area where you need a light bulb that gets movement, we recommend using a "rough service" light bulb.

Holly Eddins

Compact Fluorescent Compatable Dimmer Switches

Just when you thought you had it all figured out, you find out that not all dimmer switches will work with dimmable compact fluorescent light bulbs. There are many that do but not all function at a perfect level that we've all become acustom to.

Philips Lighting did a test using their 15W, 20W and 23W dimmable flood lights and put together a list of dimmer switches common in the market that works with those bulbs. There were others the functioned but had a small glitch of some sort and we eliminated them from the list.

If you'd like to see a complete list of these, go to our CFL Compatable Dimmer Switches list.

Holly Eddins

What is a Philips Ambient LED R20

The Ambient LED R20 Philips Light Bulb is a LED flood light made to be more energy efficient than your regular incandescent or halogen light bulb. These are sold as 25 degree beam angles. In English, that is a cross between a spot and a floor. Maybe I would call it a narrow flood.

Philips R20 LED bulbs are 4" in overall length and 2 1/2" in width. They are an easy replacement for incandescent or halogen R20 bulbs. Even though they are only 7 watts these LED bulbs put out the light of a 40 watt incandescent flood. That is some significant savings in energy considering these bulbs last on average 40,000 hours. That is 16 times the life of incandescent Duramax R20 bulbs!

The cost of these bulbs is only 10 times the cost of the incandescent version and considering that it lasts 16 times longer......you are going to save money in cost of purchasing light bulbs.....not just considering the cost of energy that you will save.

Philips LED R20 bulbs contain no mercury, are instant on bulbs (like incandescents), emit almost no UV/IR light in the beam and saves in bulb cost and energy costs. Try them!

Holly Eddins

What does PL-S Stand For?

PL-S light bulbs are compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs made by Philips Lighting. These are the oldest types of plug in light bulbs and are often found used in portable lamps. The PL-S stands for "Philips Linear- Short" These only come in a 2 Pin Plug In bulb.

PL-S CFL bulbs have an average rated life of 10,000 hours. These plug ins are available in the following wattages: 5, 7, 9 and 13. All but the 5 watt come in 827, 835, 841 and 850 color ways. The 5 watt only comes in 827 and 841 color ways.

The bases on the 5, 7 and 9 watt bubls are all interchangable. The bases are all the same and if a 5 watt isn't bright enough for you, feel free to go up in wattages. The 13 watt however, has a different base than the others and if you your lamp/fixture uses this wattage, it is the only wattage you can use.

Holly Eddins

What are PL-C Light Bulbs?

PL-C Light Bulbs are compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs. There are 2 versions. One is a 2 Pin Plug in PL-C light bulb and another is a 4 Pin Plug in PL-C light bulb. This is the number of pins on the base of the bulb. PL-C literaly stands for "Philips Linear-Cluster."

These cfl light bulbs have a life span of 10,000 hours for the 2-Pin version and 12,000 hours for the 4-Pin version.

PL-C light bulbs come in the following wattages: 13, 18 and 26 for the regular 2 pin version; 20 and 27 watts for the 15mm tube version; and then 13, 18 and 26 for the 4 pin version. Most wattages are available in 827, 830, 835 and 841 color ranges. The 15 mm bulbs only come in 827.

You can not interchange the wattages for these bulbs. The base is different for each variation and thus the only flexibility you have is in choosing a color.

Holly Eddins