At the turn of the 20th century Peter Cooper Hewitt, an American electrical engineer, developed the basis for the modern fluorescent light. In an attempt to get more energy and less heat from an incandescent lamp, he invented “The Cooper Hewitt mercury-vapor lamp,” which resulted in electrical currents passing through mercury gas sealed in a tube–the basis from which fluorescent lights operate.
The mercury-vapor lamp was more efficient and less expensive than incandescent but it produced an off-putting blue-green light. It took 30 years and a number of inventors along the way to develop the standard fluorescent light for commercial use in the 1930s.
The next surge in the growth of fluorescent lights was during the oil crisis in the early 1970s. In the mid 70s a GE engineer created a fluorescent tube into a spiral shape, which became the first compact fluorescent light (CFL). It was too expensive to build the machinery needed to mass-produce these lights. So, when the CFLs became widely available 10 years later, the cost was as high as $25 for one bulb. Also, the lights were bulky and hard to fit into fixtures.
Since the 1990s, improvements in the performance, price, and efficiency of CFLs have made them a viable option for businesses and homeowners. Nearly 3 decades after CFLs were first introduced on the market, an ENERGY STAR® CFL costs as little as $1.74 per bulb when purchased in a four-pack.
Today, you can find the highest quality fluorescent products at HH Fluorescent & LED Products, the only independently owned lamp holder manufacturer in the United States. We have been serving the fluorescent industry for more than 60 years. Check out our fluorescent light parts or call us today at 215-379-2750 for more information.