It is all about light bulb for lamps lighting.
email: 
website: http://www.siongboon.com
Topic Discussion Overview
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LED is the latest lightings technology in town. I was excited about LED lights for the energy efficiency it can bring. Using less energy to light up the place. After exploring the technology, and conducting a series of experiments, I realised that LED is not as wonderful as I think it should be. The truth is, not all LED lighting lamp is efficient. It depends mainly on your application. Fluorescent lamp can have efficiency equal or better than LED lamp. For some applications LED will be better. The following presents a list of energy saving lightings products that I have considered the best among the other alternative solution. The list consist of LED as well as fluorescent, because some fluorescent bulb solution can be as good or even better than LED bulb in terms of energy saving. With a better understanding about the lighting technologies, it can help you make a better economical choice towards saving your electricity bill. The subsequent sections will present various energy saving products and some detail analysis. Alternative technologies will also be presented in a table format for easy comparison. Most of the solutions that are presented are products from saveOne. The company has a strong focus in energy efficient products. Most of the efficient lightings or energy saving solution can be found there, be it LED or fluorescent. They also provide experiments and measurements to allow consumer to have a better understanding of various light bulb technologies. Some of the informations is made available for comparison with the help from their technical support. Besides lighting products, the company also sells other energy saving products. The main focus here is only on the lightings, so let us begin.
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LED Ceiling Lamp Product code: LEDCL2417
LED Ceiling Light (Surface, Round, 98*LED)
available from
saveOne Pte Ltd, Singapore, www.saveone.com.sg
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My home toilet is bright using the LED ceiling lamps. (Installed on Jan 2012)
The LED ceiling lamps is make up many small LED bulbs. This 8W LED ceiling lamp provide brighter illumination at the center than the old CFL. The old 18W CFL (E27 base) that I used to have provides a brighter illumination on the ceiling than the LED lamp. There are pro & cons. LED is rather directional which is why the ceiling looks darker. However lightings to the floor area is very bright. This LED ceiling lamps uses many little low power LED bulbs. The heat generated by these low power LED bulb is insignificant when compare to the fluorescent lamp. They do not generate heat, and no heat sink is required. The low heat lighting also means that the components and material can last longer when compare to heat generating lighting technology. In short, low power LED lightings is more efficiency compare to high power LED, fluorescent and other lighting technologies. Measurement (for 8W LED ceiling lamp)
Measurement (my old 18W CFL bulb that was used to be in my toilet) Wattage: 18.3W There are other type of LED lamps that uses high power LED. These lamps uses only a few high power LED bulbs but can dissipate quite high heat. High power LED requires a heat sink (usually aluminium material) to be attached which helps to disspate heat. |
Electronic PL lamp bulb G24 base Product code: CFLSI2154
Lamp base: G24
click here for product brochure
available from
saveOne Pte Ltd, Singapore, www.saveone.com.sg
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Dated: 2012-01-15 It was quite difficult for me to accept the fact that in this technological era we are still using lighting technology that are so out dated. I was not so aware about our current lighting products and technology, until I had this chance to conduct experiment on saveOne's product. At first look, this product is no difference from the PL lamp that we normally use in our home or office building. I did not understand what is so special about this product, until I do my some market research. The current PL lamp http://www.siongboon.com/projects/2010-08-22%20electronic%20ballast/index.html The old fluorescent technology requires 3 components to work. a starter This old technology has a number of disadvantage. - Use more electricity energy The typical PL fluorescent lamp from Philips that you can find in the market does not requires external starter. Most consumer will find it a very convient product over the conventional fluorescent that requires a starter to operate. What most consumer do not realise is that it is no difference from the old traditional inefficient fluorescent lamp. The reason that you don't get to see any starter in the setup is because the starter has already been built into the lamp itself. A typical fluorescent tube has 4 pins. PL lamp has only 2 pin because the 2 other pin is used for a mini starter installed just below the tube. This also means that if the tube or the starter component get damaged due to wear and tear, you will have to replace the whole tube. The old setup allows you top change the starter if the starter is not working, or tube if the tube cannot light up. This is unlike the PL lamp where the whole bulb+starter has to be replaced if either component get damaged. One of the saveOne PL lamp setup. (click to see a larger picture of this setup)
You can easy tell if you have the old PL lamp install in your home/office. The lamp will flicker on and off for a few seconds before it can be fully turned on. This was a measurement that I took, comparing saveOne PL with a typical PL lamp + magnetic ballast. Measurement (for 10W saveOne PL bulb)
Measurement (for a typical 10W PL bulb + magnetic ballast)
saveOne has designed the electronics to replace away with the magnetic ballast and starter system. The electronic control is more efficient consuming only 9.1W during the measurement. The PL lamp consume 9.5W at start up and drop down to 9.1W (steady state) after the tube gets to warm up. In contrast the typical PL bulb begins at 13.9W and rise up to 14.3W during the steady state. The magnetic ballast PL bulb has a typical higher wattage consumption; this is especially true if the magnetic ballast is not match to the fluorescent tube wattage. In some cases, it wattage consume can even be higher. The current drawn by the magnetic ballast setup is also higher at 0.158A. Compare to the saveOne PL bulb 0.066A, it is about 2.4 times higher. The higher current flow will generate more heat compare to a efficienct bulb that uses less current. The power factor for the saveOne PL bulb is high at 0.63; the reason for the low current drawn. The heat generated from the magnetic ballast is a waste of energy, and will tends to wear out the various component more. The heat will have indirect impact on the environment temperature and aircon electrcity wastage as well. If you feel the heat surrounding the old PL bulb, you can feel the heat. When you change old PL bulb, you might also find that the tube has dropped off from the base or the glass tube can break easily. These wear and tear can also expose the dangerous mecury content inside the florescent tube, which will contaminate your home/office environment. The saveOne PL bulb replacement over the old PL bulb is easy. There is no need to do any rewiring. Simply change the bulb. The electronics built into saveOne PL lamp is able to work with existing installed magnetic ballast. I was sceptic about its claim and also did a measurement on its performance when it is used with a magnetic ballast. Measurement (for saveOne 10W PL bulb + magnetic ballast) The result was quite unexpected when I first do the measurement. The performance is even better without removing your existing magnetic ballast. The product is design specially for consumer using the old magnetic ballast PL bulb, helping them to switch over to saveOne energy saving PL bulb.
Even though the magnetic ballast was installed with the saveOne bulb, it does not generate much heat as compared to the old PL bulb. saveOne tube is designed in a spiral shape which allow more lights to be projected out. The fluorescent tube also contains triphosphor material which allows the tube to generate brighter light using less electricity energy. This patented product from saveOne really earns my respect for the innovation that they have put in the area of energy saving. It changes my views about the old lighting technology that we are still using in Singapore. Many places are still using the olf PL bulb.
See the following comparison table for more information.
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Comparison among various energy saving lightings for PL fluorescent lamp. (updated Jan 2012)
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LED PL Lamp
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Electronics PLC Lamp |
Magnetic PL Lamp
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| Lastest Energy Saving Lamp |
12-18W |
15W |
18W |
Electricity Energy Cost Per Year (assuming 24 hour operation per day, base on Singapore's Electricity Tariffs rate of $0.2759 cents as of Jan 2012) Electricity Cost Per Year = Bulb Watt (W) x 24 Hour x 365 days ÷ 1000 x Electricity Tariff Rate ($/KWh) |
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$36.25 |
$43.50 |
Electricity cost saving per month (when the old magnetic PL lamp) |
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($43.50-$36.25)/12 $0.60/mth |
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| Lamp Cost |
about $30-50 |
about $8-12 |
about $4-6 |
Fast ROI (Return-On-Investment, when replaced with ballast + PL Lamp) Lamp Cost ÷ Electricity cost saving per month |
about 25 months |
about 13 months |
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LED PL Lamp
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Electronics PLC Lamp |
Magnetic PL Lamp
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| Brightness |
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Triphosphor |
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| Lower Heat Generated |
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magnetic ballast generate a lot of heat. |
| Easy to Install/Replace |
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| Low Maintainance Cost |
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| Instant On (no need starter) |
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LED PL Lamp
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Electronics PLC Lamp |
Magnetic PL Lamp
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| Safety (robust mechanical design) |
no mercury content |
robust tube design |
crack easily and loosen due to heat stress |
| Integrated Ballast (save space) |
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external ballast is required |
| High Power Factor |
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magnetic ballast has low power factor |
| Estimated Lifespan | 30,000hr |
7,000hr |
7,000hr
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Brand name in Singapore - Philips - PowerPac - saveOne |
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Energy Saving T8 fluorescent tube Product code: FLRSL1644 Lamp base : T8
available from
saveOne Pte Ltd, Singapore, www.saveone.com.sg
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When I first got to know of this energy saving T8 fluorescent tube, it looks just like any ordinary T8 lightings. I have learned over a series of measurements and experiements that this is no ordinary T8 fluorescent tube. It has the performance comparable to a LED T8 tube, but at a cost much lower. The design also overcome some of the shortcoming of an ordinary fluorescent tube that are available in the current market. These have make it one of the most efficient and economical lighting tube among the rest (LED T8 and T5). Normal T8 housing can be very bulky. Magnetic ballast, starter and starter holder are housed inside the enclosure.
Space saving T8 fluorescent tube socket for direct electrical connection. Useful for ceiling/wall cove lightings where space are very tight. Setup is cheaper as well without the enclosure, starter, starter holder and magnetic ballast.
The product's built-in integrated ballast is also designed to work with your existing magnetic ballast. This means that you do not have to change any wiring or remove the magnetic ballast from your existing setup. Simply change the old T8 tube with this new energy saving tube, and remember to remove away the starter. The new lamp turns on its light instantly without the need for any starter. You might wonder that with the magnetic ballast working together with this new product, will it affect the energy consumption? I had the same thought as well. Measurement were taken. By using the magnetic ballast together with the product, it has insignificant changes to its performance and energy consumption. In fact the power and current drop a bit. These can be explain by the measurement result which will be presented shortly. The power factor of the ordinary T8 tube setup is poor. This is mainly due to the magnetic ballast which is an inductive component (which is only wire coil). The poor power factor results in higher current being drawn from the electrical grid. The current drawn is 4 times higher than the saveOne's T8 energy saving product. With such a high current flowing through the magnetic ballast, it will generate heat. This is also why it feel burning hot when you try to touch the magnetic ballast which has been operating for more than 10 minutes. This is wasted energy as a form of heat. The heat also affect your environment temperature indirectly. In contrast, this energy saving T8 lighting product uses much less current. Less heat will be generated. Even if this low current flows through your existing magnetic ballast, it will not generate much heat. The low current is transparent to your existing magnetic ballast; there are no loss.
The following measurement result shows that the power consumption for the saveOne T8 product is almost the same as a typical LED T8. Given the similar performance, the ROI (return of investment) of the product will be much better because the LED cost is high.
Measurement (for saveOne T8 fluorescent tube)
Measurement (for ordinary T8 fluorescent tube)
Measurement (for LED T8 tube)
The product has indeed impressed me for its efficiency when compared to a LED T8 tube. I have also done up a product comparison table to compare against other type of lightings solution to replace the old T8 magnetic ballast fluorescent lamp. See the followings for more information on the comparison between more types of alternative replacement solution for T8 lightings. |
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Comparison among various energy saving lightings for T8 4FT fluorescent lamp replacement. (updated Jan 2012)
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LED
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Tube-in-tube |
T8 to T5 Adaptor
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Electronic Ballast
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Magnetic Ballast
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| Lastest Energy Saving Lamp |
16 - 20W |
16 - 20W |
23 - 28W |
28 - 40W |
36 - 45W |
Electricity Energy Cost Per Year (assuming 24 hour operation per day, base on Singapore's Electricity Tariffs rate of $0.2759 cents as of Jan 2012) Electricity Cost Per Year = Bulb Watt (W) x 24 Hour x 365 days ÷ 1000 x Electricity Tariff Rate ($/KWh) |
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$38.67 |
$55.59 |
$67.67 |
$87.01 |
Electricity cost saving per month (when the old T8 tube is replaced) |
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($87.01-$38.67)/12mth = $4.03/mth |
($87.01-$55.59)/12mth = $2.62/mth |
($87.01-$67.67)/12mth = $1.61/mth |
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| Lamp Cost |
about $60-$90 |
about $18-$25 |
about $12-$18 |
about $8-$12 |
about $5-$9 |
Fast ROI (Return-On-Investment, when the old T8 tube is replaced) Lamp Cost ÷ Electricity cost saving per month |
about 15-22 months |
about 4-6 months |
about 5-7 months |
about 5-7 months |
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LED
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Tube-in-tube |
T8 to T5 Adaptor
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Electronic Ballast
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Magnetic Ballast
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| Brightness |
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Triphosphor |
Triphosphor |
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| Lower Heat Generated |
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| Easy to Install/Replace |
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| Low Maintainance Cost |
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| Instant On (no need starter) |
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LED
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Tube-in-tube |
T8 to T5 Adaptor
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Electronic Ballast
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Magnetic Ballast
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| Safety |
no mercury content |
protection against mercury leakage |
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| Integrated Ballast (save space) |
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| High Power Factor |
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| Estimated Lifespan | 30,000hr |
7,000hr |
7,000hr
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7,000hr |
7,000hr |
Brand name in Singapore - Philips - AZ e-lite - Megaman - PowerPac - saveOne |
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28-32W electronic
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Comment:
As based on the comparison among various lamps technology,
the latest energy saving LED and tube-in-tube lamp are both very energy efficient lamp.
LED is known to last longer than the fluorescent technology but the cost of the lamp is much higher.
That is why the ROI (return on investment) is poor when compare to the fluorescent technologies.
The fluorescent technologies have similar ROI although the cost price is different.
This is because the new fluorescent design has achieved an efficiency close to the LED technology..
Tube-in-tube design has a cost slightly higher, but it offer more electricity saving
, with a better protection against mercury contamination than the other fluorescent technology.
In terms of cost and efficiency, the tube-in-tube lamp offers a better choice over the lamps.
If you are interested to find out about saveOne's tube-in-tube lamps,
you can contact them or visit their office for a demonstration or an experiment experience.
Product picture taken from 
and 
LED candle and chandelier bulb (compare to incandescent bulb)
Lamp base: E12, E14
available from
saveOne Pte Ltd, Singapore, www.saveone.com.sg |
I love these LED candle bulb. These E12 bulbs are usually used for the praying lamp on our Taoist altar table. It simulate the olden days of using candle flame..
Compare to the normal incandescent bulb 16W, these LED bulb only uses 0.3W. That is about 50 times saving in energy. The incandescent bulb can be very hot after turning on for a few seconds, and these can be quite dangerous especially with naughty children running around the house. These LED bulb remains cool after operating for the whole day. The lifespan of these LED bulb is much much longer compare to the incandecent version.
The old incandescent bulb cost less than a dollar, a lot cheaper then the LED bulb which cost about S$5 to S$8. Considering the 16W energy that the incandecent bulb will consume, it will actually cost more to maintain it. This is even more significant if you operate the lamp for 24 hours per day. The electricity bill that you save within 2 months of operation can easily help you recover the cost of the LED bulb purchased. Per bulb would have save you about S$3 to 4 base on the electricity tariff rate of S$0.30/Kwh. Lifespan of incandescent bulb can be short, as the heat and frequent switching on/off can burn off the filaments inside. For these LED bulbs the brightness is lower and will not be suitable if you have a lamp covering. The cover will reduce the brightness. Considering the energy saving, temperature, safety and lifespan that this LED bulb brings, it is a much more economical choice over a incandescent bulb.
Another great bulb that I will like to introduce is the LED chandelier bulb which uses only 3W compare to the incandescent version which uses 40W.
An incandescent chandelier bulb (40W E14), very hot and short lifespan. You can see the thin filament inside the bulb.
A LED chandelier bulb (3W E14), hot but much better than the incandescent bulb.
The LED bulb when it is switched off. This LED incandescent chandelier bulb uses a high power LED. The light is very bright and look very much like the incandescent bulb's filament. The high power LED bulb do generate some heat but it is a lot less than the incandescent version. This LED bulb 3W uses about 13 times less energy than the conventioanl incandescent bulb of 40W. These LED bulbs are worth recommending for their higher effciency, lower heat generated, safer and longer life span over the conventional incandescent bulbs. |
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This is meant to be a general reference for various lamp technology available on the market. The following information is not comprehensive for a detail one to one comparison.
| Type of lightings technology | LED |
Fluorescent |
Induction |
Halogen |
Incandescent |
Plasma |
HID |
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| Full Name | Light Emitting Diode | High-intensity discharge lamp | |||||||
| Typical Application | Room lighting | Room, High Bay, Hall lighting | Room lighting | Display cabinet | General lighting | High Bay, Hall, Street lights | High Bay, Hall, Street lights | ||
| Typical Wattage | 10W | 40W | 40W | 50W | 40W | ||||
Electricity Energy Cost Per Day (assuming 24 hour operation per day, base on Singapore's Electricity Tariffs rate of $0.2759 cents as of Jan 2012) Electricity Cost Per Year = Bulb Watt (W) x 24 Hour ÷ 1000 x Electricity Tariff Rate ($/KWh) |
$0.0662 | $0.2649 | $0.2649 | $0.3311 | $0.2649 | ||||
| Electricity Energy Cost Per Year | $24.16 | $96.65 | $96.65 | $120.82 | $96.65 |
Manufacturer for Halogen and incandecent lamp products.
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Defination used in Lightings
Color Temperature References: http://www.feit.com/education/feitcolortemperature.html |
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reference: - http://www.answers.com/topic/fluorescent-lamp
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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reference: |
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
G24 lamp & socket |
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Filament Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Filament Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Filament Types
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Bulb Shapes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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Base Sizes
Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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BA15s BAU15s BA15d BAY15d
BAZ15d BAZ15d-3
SBC B15d BC B22d Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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MES E10 SES E14 ES E27 GES E40 Singapore commonly used bulb shape & base is highlighted in bold font. |
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| A-Shape |  |
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| Globe |  |
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| GU10 |  |
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| PAR30 |  |
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| PAR38 |  |
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| R20 |  |
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G4 GY6_35 |
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| MR16 G10 |  |
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| MR16 G5.3 |   |
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Useful accessories for lamp installation
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1) ETON Connectors
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Reference:
Graphics in this webpage are re-compiled from the following website:
- http://www.superiorlighting.com/Light_Bulb_Shape_and_Size_Reference_Guide_s/218.htm
- http://www.ledlight.com/LED-Information.aspx
- http://www.nzlightingltd.co.nz/Useful+Hints/Choosing+a+Bulb.html
- http://www.customdynamics.com/bulb_identification_help.htm
Keyword: Lamps, LED, Fluorescent, Singapore, Energy saving, Bulb shape and base
that we have in our home or offices actually uses the old magnetic ballast technology. It works exactly the same as a typical magnetic ballast with a normal fluorescent tube. You can read something about the old fluorescent technology 
, a magnetic ballast 
and a fluorescent tube 
to work.
Candle bulb with its holder. 
A simple altar table using candle bulb 
