Panasonic Develops Pa-Look Ball Premium Q Fluorescent Bulbs with Industry's Quickest Ramp-up Time

JCN Newswires, June 10, 2008

Tokyo, June 10, 2008 - (JCN Newswire) - Panasonic, the leading brand by which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is best known, today announced the new Pa-Look Ball Premium Q (quick) compact fluorescent light bulbs with the industry's first "hybrid lighting method" that enables instant brightness. The new product will be available in Japan starting this July.

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.

About Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial)

Best known for its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 9.07 trillion yen (approx. US$90.52 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2008. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya (TSE: 6752) and New York (NYSE: MC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/

Source: Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial)

Contact:

Akira Kadota,
International PR
Tel:  81-3-3578-1237
Fax:  81-3-3436-6766

Panasonic News Bureau
Tel:  81-3-3542-6205
Fax:  81-3-3542-9018

Japan Corporate News Network. All rights reserved.