Photo of woman demonstrating an early compact fluorescent lamp.  

Westinghouse Econ-Nova©
 Compact Fluorescent Lamp, 1980
©Philips Lighting Company

The Econ-Nova was one of the first commercial compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs. Small fluorescent lamps became available soon after fluorescent technology was developed late in the 1930s, but only for special applications such as lighting aircraft instrument panels. Technical limitations made small lamps impractical for general use until the late 1970s.

Econ-Novas featured a replaceable fluorescent tube called a "hook." This design allowed consumers to save a little money by replacing only the hook when the lamp burned out and reusing the built-in starter and ballast, which lasted much longer. The Econ-Nova was similar to the SL lamps also introduced in 1980 by Dutch lamp-maker Philips. When Philips purchased the Westinghouse Lamp Division in 1983, the Econ-Nova was considered redundant and discontinued. 

 
   

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© 2001 Smithsonian Institution
Last Updated: February 2000