Since their introduction over 20 years ago, compact fluorescent lamps have been known as energy saving lamps. They save an average of 80% energy compared to standard lightbulbs. Technically, these lamps are fluorescent tubes folded together and combined with an electronic ballast. To ensure their acceptance in private households, light color and rendering have been continously improved, and they are now available in different shapes to fit into the aesthetics of different luminaires.

Compared to regular incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps have considerably higher lifetimes; for example, the DULUX EL Longlife has a rated lifetime of 15 000 hours - more than 15 years in many households. This is not a pie in the sky, as an independent test of Germany's Stiftung Warentest confirmed - after 17 000 hours our lamps were stilling burning brightly
Like other fluorescent lamps, compacts are physically based on the principle of a mercury gas discharge. That is why these lamps contain minute amounts of mercury. Even though advances in dosage technologies have allowed us to reduce this amount to only a few milligramms, compact fluorescent lamps must be recycled at the end of their lifetime.