Lighting technology took a great leap forward when compact fluorescent R30 flood light bulbs became small enough to use in almost any recessed or track lighting fixture. Up until recently, getting energy savings in a flood light was difficult because of size considerations, but not anymore. Compact fluorescent lamps are generally the smaller fluorescents you see used in almost any type of light fixture that previously used an incandescent light bulb. When it comes to lighting up a home, office or retail store, compact fluorescent flood light bulbs tend to be the ones chosen for recessed cans or track lighting. They are chosen most often because of the great light output and good color along with energy efficiency as well. When compared to incandescent lighting, these are longer lasting, using much less energy making them a perfect choice for almost any type of lighting. There are several kinds of compact flood types which include the regular household base, R20, R30 and R40 sizes to replace almost any flood light you may be using now. The R30 is a suitable replacement for 65BR30 lamps, which are probably the most common flood light in use today. There is the larger 5 inch size which is the R40 and that is also a very common light, but has been generally phased out of many new installations.  You'll be able to reduce from 65 watts down to 15 watts and get the same amount of light!

You can get compact fluorescent R30 in almost any color you want including the more desirable full spectrum flood light.  The full spectrum has special phosphors that give it a similar color to daylight or natural sunshine.  It produces light the way our eyes naturally use it, giving better visual acuity and reducing problems like eyestrain.  But fluorescents can come in many other colors as well and are identified by their Kelvin temperature. By definition, virtually all are full spectrum in that they contain some of all colors in their spectral range. However, the term full spectrum is primarily used when referring to those lamps that fall into the white to blue/white color temperature range. Color temperature is measured by a term called Kelvin. 3000 Kelvin would be a warm tone color, 5000 Kelvin would be a white color and 6500 Kelvin would be a blue/white color.  You'll find a great variety of these for your home in the regular household base, so you don't have to change out recessed cans or track lighting, simply screw it in. In many areas, people will find that certain colors work better for their color scheme and you may have to experiment a little to see which one works best for you.  It all depends upon your color scheme, but whiter colors are generally favorable to the full spectrum color and wood or earthtones look better under a 3000K color.

With the advent of higher electrical costs, many businesses are looking for ways to save energy with lighting.  Obviously, compact fluorescent flood light bulbs are the perfect choice to replace higher wattage incandescent flood lamps and save energy.  Just look for areas where you might use R30 incandescent light bulbs and find the right replacement on our web site.  The R30 has a diameter of 3 3/4" inches across the face of the reflector. The most typical light fixture these are used in would be the 6" or 5" recessed can light used in entry ways or general lighting. You will find a great reduction in your electrical bill while still getting the amount of light that you want.  Keep an eye out for electric utility rebates in your area which might be available for compact fluorescent flood light bulbs.  This is more true in commercial lighting than it is for residential as they are a larger user of electricity during the day or high demand times. When replacing your outdated incandescent with compact fluorescent, make sure that the light is not on a dimmer. Putting non-dimmable fluorescent on a dimming circuit could cause a fire. We have the dimming compact fluorescent bulbs also, so you'll need to ask for them specifically. Please note that your energy savings can be very significant when changing from incandescent flood lights to fluorescent flood lights over almost any other kind of retrofit.

As with all fluorescent bulbs, they rely on ballasts inside of the fixtures or units to make them work. The ballast is important because it is specific for each type of lamp.  You can't change from one type of fluorescent to another without changing the ballast in most cases.  Most of the time though the ballast in the lamp are matched electrically and so it's good to make sure the ballast you have is the right one for the lamp you choose. Typically, compact fluorescent R30 flood light bulbs come in one piece units, but ServiceLighting.com has them in replaceable lamp units which will save you even more money over the long haul.  With the one-piece units, you simply throw it away when you're done with it.  This is good for home users because you don't have to determine what has gone bad when it finally does get to the end of its life.

Remember that there are many types of compact fluorescent bulbs, we describe some of the most common used in home and commercial lighting here.  Keep in mind that we also stock all the larger or linear types of fluorescent lamps used in commercial lighting.  Whatever type you choose or have, you will be saving energy while getting the most light you can for your money.  We have a large inventory of fluorescent bulbs for nearly every type of light fixture in the field.  If you need help identifying the bulb you have, our customer service representatives can help you determine what you have.