Fluorescent bulbs although they are much more environmentally friendly and save on your energy bill, they take forever to reach their brightest. I hate how dim they make a room seem, of course they eventually brighten up. That small set back isn’t enough to sway me from them, it is just a bit of a nuisance. Well these new Panasonic bulbs still feature an energy efficient design, but they reach instant brightness. The other nice feature is that they appear like the old incandescent bulbs, which look better in decorative lighting. I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but the new bulbs just looked a bit odd sticking out of the lights on ceiling fans.

These new Panasonic bulbs feature a compact quick lamp which is located in the center of the fluorescent tube. That allows the bulb to reach 60% of its full brightness within a single second of being flipped on. Basically the quick lamp turns on and once the spiral arc has reached enough of its own brightness it will shut off all on its own. The bulb is the equivalent of a regular 54-watt bulb, while actually using only 10 watts, it also will last 13,000 hours before burning out. It will be released in July of this year for Japan but no word on if or when it will reach the US.

[via OhGizmo!]