Energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs have been attracting attention as an environmentally-friendly choice for home for their long lifespan and the property to give off warmth like incandescent lights. These fluorescent bulbs, however, were considered unsuitable for places where they were turned on and off frequently, such as bathrooms, as they could not light up as instantly as incandescent bulbs.

To solve the problem, Panasonic has successfully developed the "hybrid lighting method" by installing a newly-developed compact "quick lamp" in the "quick lamp" allows the bulb to obtain 60 percent of full brightness within the first second after it is turned on, which is 50 percent faster than current Pa-Look Ball Premium bulbs and stands as the industry's quickest ramp-up time[1].

A built-in timer automatically turns off the "quick lamp" when the spiral arc tube lamp develops enough brightness. As a result, the new Premium Q bulbs achieve brightness equivalent to that of 54-watt[2] incandescent bulbs with an energy consumption of only 10-watts[3], cutting down CO2 emissions and electricity bills by 80 percent[4].

The new Premium Q bulbs deliver the industry's top performance in lifespan and durability[2]. They last approximately 13,000 hours and can be switched on and off approximately 40,000 times, achieving a 30 percent improvement from the current Pa-Look Ball Premiums. Consequently, the new bulbs can reduce frequency of exchanging bulbs to one-thirteenth compared to 54-watt incandescent bulbs.

Panasonic continues to implement its commitment to the environmental protection by introducing innovative products such as the Pa-Look Ball Premium Q fluorescent light bulbs.

[1] As of June 9, 2008 in Japan, compared in luminous flux.
[2] Refers, here and after, to 60-watt incandescent bulbs with energy consumption of 54-watts.
[3] Excludes the time in which quick lamp is being lit.
[4] Excludes lighting of quick lamp. While quick lamp is lit, it consumes 30-watts up to a maximum of 1 minute.