OREANDA-NEWS. June 25, 2012. It’s a bulb that looks and feels like the age-old incandescent with a big difference – energy savings. GE’s Energy-Efficient Soft White bulb saves as much as 28 percent in energy costs and is gaining traction as consumers look for new energy-efficient alternatives.

GE has offered halogen bulbs in its portfolio for years, but is currently re-introducing them under the Energy-Efficient Soft White name. This namesake was intentionally chosen to convey the similarities between incandescent and halogen technologies, as GE’s incandescent bulbs have been marketed as “Soft White” bulbs for years. By adding the energy-efficiency phrase to the halogen version, GE teams hope consumers understand they won’t lose anything by making a switch from standard incandescents – they’ll just save more in efficiencies.

Using halogen technology, the Energy-Efficient Soft White bulb runs using less energy and costs less to operate than the traditional incandescent bulb. At the same time, it performs like incandescent bulbs and delivers nearly the same brightness.

“The unique thing about the Energy-Efficient Soft White is that it’s a simple replacement,” says Anh Marella, product manager for GE’s Energy-Efficient Soft White bulbs. “It can be used in the same applications as incandescents and provides very similar light output. Basically, the soft white light you use and love today with incandescent bulbs, you’ll have tomorrow with Energy-Efficient Soft White.”

Technology Behind the Bulb
GE’s Energy-Efficient Soft White bulb has a tungsten filament just like the incandescent bulb, but is also filled with halogen gas. When a bulb is lit, tungsten from the filament evaporates inside the bulb (a key difference), providing illumination while allowing the bulb to last longer. The halogen gas then carries the evaporated tungsten particles back to the filament and re-deposits them. This gives the Energy-Efficient Soft White bulb a longer life than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Favorite Incandescent Features Duplicated
Energy-Efficient Soft White bulbs are housed in A-line shells to look just like incandescent bulbs, plus they’re fully dimmable. In addition, while some other energy-efficient alternatives experience a delayed start during the bulb’s warm-up phase, Energy-Efficient Soft White bulbs start instantly. They also emit a warm, inviting white light output very similar to incandescents without running any hotter.