Compact fluorescent lamp test Crofton Court; 1992

A test was devised to try to assess whether the operation of CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) would disrupt the operation of an electric utility system. This test focused on the impact in a residential environment in an underground service area. It appears that the use of a significant number of CFLs does increase the distortion on this electrical system a small amount during the evening hours. However, in this test case the current distortion maximum occurred at a different time of the day than one would expect from the effects of the CFLs. Also, the voltage distortion continues to increase as the evening wears on. This apparent contradiction leads to the conclusion that the voltage distortion is a function of something other than the CFLs. In any event, the total contribution to the distortion by the electronic compacts does not appear to be significant in this particular case