Technology Jun. 09, 2008 - 01:39PM JST ( 2 )

OSAKA —

Panasonic on Monday announced the new Pa-Look Ball Premium Q (quick) compact
fluorescent light bulbs with the industry’s first “hybrid lighting method” that enables instant
brightness. The new product will be available in Japan starting this July.

Energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs have been attracting attention as an
environmentally-friendly choice for home for their long lifespan and the property to give off
warmth like incandescent lights. These fluorescent bulbs, however, were considered
unsuitable for places where they were turned on and off frequently, such as bathrooms, as
they could not light up as instantly as incandescent bulbs.

To solve the problem, Panasonic said it has successfully developed the “hybrid lighting method” by installing a newly-developed compact “quick lamp” in the center of the spiral arc tube structure inside the pear-shaped Premium Q fluorescent light capsules. The “quick lamp” allows the bulb to obtain 60% of full brightness within the first second after it is turned on, which is 50% faster than current Pa-Look Ball Premium bulbs and stands as the industry’s quickest ramp-up time.

A built-in timer automatically turns off the “quick lamp” when the spiral arc tube lamp develops enough brightness. As a result, the new Premium Q bulbs achieve brightness equivalent to that of 54-watt incandescent bulbs with an energy consumption of only 10-watts, cutting down CO2 emissions and electricity bills by 80%.

The new Premium Q last approximately 13,000 hours and can be switched on and off approximately 40,000 times.