• Plug-in fluorescent lamp.fluorescent image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  As a worldwide leader in the production of lighting devices with a name that is synonymous with the light bulb, General Electric (GE) manufactures a wide range of lighting options. The options range from incandescent to halogen to LED lighting, in addition to fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lamps come in many different configurations and possibilities, all of which contribute to the lighting needs of the home and work environment.
  
  

Watts

• A lamp, or light bulb, wattage refers to the amount of current or electric power required to operate the bulb. Thus the higher the wattage the greater the power needed, with the resulting higher energy costs. One of the advantages of fluorescent lighting is the lower number of watts needed to produce the same light as the incandescent light bulb. For example, a GE Spiral Soft White T3 fluorescent bulb with an incandescent socket requires 10 watts but produces the light of a 40 watt incandescent bulb. Another GE product, the Biax T3, which also replaces a 40 watt bulb, requires 12 watts and is a smaller size fluorescent bulb than the Spiral.
  
  

Rated Life

• Rated life refers to the number of hours a lamp can be expected to produce light. The GE Sprial T3 fluorescent rates at 8,000 hours, which is eight times longer than the equivalent 40 watt incandescent bulb. By comparison, the T3 Biax by GE has a rated life of 15,000 hours, providing almost twice the lifespan in a smaller size.
  
  

Initial Lumens

• This specification measures output of light. For the Spiral T3, initial lumens are 520, which is a106 percent increase when compared with the 40 watt incandescent bulb. Thus it produces more light, lasts eight times longer and uses one-fourth of the energy as the comparable incandescent bulb. The Biax T3 generates 600 initial lumens or 122 percent improvement when compared with the 40 watt incandescent bulb.