Electrical Forum > Light Bulbs
Thats my understanding too, 100W equivalents are circa 17w( I think ) so well within limit of 60w max fittings. I've used 100w equivalents in fittings marked max 60w for the last few years with no adverse effect
scotty
When you see a socket or a label on a lamp that says "60 watts max" it only means that the base of a lamp that uses more power than 60 watts will make the lamp socket so hot that it could cause a fire.
The 100 watt lamp will fit in the socket base and will give off light appropriate for the 100 watts of energy it uses. The bad part is that you are increasing your fire risk.
The solution is to get one of those compact fluorescent bulbs that use just a third of the wattage as a typical bulb. You could put a "100 watt" CFL (which only uses 33 watts but gets its name "100 watt"because it is as bright as a 100 watt incandescent) and get the same light as the 100 but much less heat. That would work great in the socket and will cut your electric bill.
Stacy Pratt
Most of the lamp fittings in our house have a sticker on them saying 60watt or 100 watt max. I assume that is because of the heat generated by the old type of bulbs. However the current low energy 60watt equivalents are pretty dim in comparison with the old type of bulb. Given that the new low energy bulbs generate far less heat can I use 100watt equivalent low energy in place of a 60watt old type?