Energy-saving light bulbs: pros and cons. The best energy saving light bulbs

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Since energy-saving lamps have appeared on the market, conventional incandescent lamps have been rapidly losing ground. This is due to the fact that comes from the very name of the product - energy saving. However, the latest scientific studies have stunned buyers with the statement that energy-saving lamps are dangerous. How to choose a "housekeeper", weigh all the "pros" and "cons" and come to a single right decision?

Energy-saving light bulbs: pros and cons

First, let's talk about the merits of these products.

• Energy saving comes from high luminous efficiency. Incandescent lamps lag far behind energy-saving lamps in this indicator, since more than 85% of all energy expended is spent on the accumulation of heat that enters the tungsten wire. In housekeepers, the same electricity is directly converted intolight.
• Continuing to talk about what energy-saving light bulbs have pros and cons, we must not forget about the durability of these devices. The average time that a light bulb can work without interruption is 6-15 thousand hours. The composition of such lamps does not include a filament, which burns out over time. Therefore, the period that a housekeeper can serve is many times longer than the time of functioning of incandescent lamps.
• Energy-saving lamps allow the user to choose the level of illumination.
• The best energy-saving light bulbs do not overheat even at the highest power. Therefore, they can be used in cramped fixtures made from materials that can deform from heat. At the same time, incandescent bulbs can melt the ceiling, plastic accessories on the chandelier and even wires, which is very dangerous.
• The light is distributed evenly throughout the room. In the design of conventional light bulbs, light is emitted directly from the tungsten filament in only one direction. An energy-saving lamp distributes the light as evenly as possible due to the fact that the whole is lit. The researchers note that this effect reduces the level of human eye fatigue.

Energy-saving lamps and their disadvantages

So, continuing to talk about what energy-saving light bulbs have pros and cons, let's focus on the disadvantages now.

• The period that an energy-saving lamp can last depends on the selected mode. In rooms in which the light is turned on / off all the time, do notenergy-saving light bulbs are suitable.
• The price is quite high (from 75 to 350 rubles).
• Warm up time. It is impossible to instantly illuminate a room with this lamp, as it warms up gradually. On average, this process takes 2 minutes.

• There is a possibility of flickering, irritating to the eyes.
• Energy-saving lamps emit ultraviolet light. Such rays are dangerous for all people, because they negatively affect the skin, especially for those whose skin is very sensitive. They are strictly forbidden to be close to such lamps, no closer than 30 cm. An excess of ultraviolet radiation leads to skin diseases. According to research conducted by doctors, the optimal lamp power for people with problem skin is 21 watts or less.
• These lamps cannot be used in chandeliers that provide for the regulation of light intensity. This happens due to inappropriate design: when the voltage drops by at least 10% of the standard, energy-saving light bulbs turn off due to lack of power.
• Due to their chemical composition, the lamps are not dangerous in daily use. However, when they break, they release mercury and phosphorus into the air. Vapors of these substances from one light bulb, according to scientists, can exceed the permissible norm by 20 times, from which pregnant women and children who are at that moment in the room can get irreparable he alth problems. If, nevertheless, an energy-saving light bulb breaks, what to do, simplethe user does not always know, so there is a set of specific rules that we have given at the end of the article.
• Mandatory special disposal. Burnt-out lamps are strictly forbidden to be thrown away with all other waste.

Choosing an energy-saving lamp

Today, the market provides a large selection of products such as energy-saving light bulbs. How to choose this product so that the lamp suits us according to its characteristics and cost.

Earlier, when we chose an incandescent lamp, our attention was most occupied by questions: how complete is the tungsten filament, the base and what is the power. Based on the latter, we automatically began to calculate how many kilowatts the meter would show after using one such light bulb. Significantly low rate of electricity consumption, therefore, a relatively small fee for its consumption - these are the advantages for which buyers prefer energy-saving light bulbs, their price is higher, but they pay for themselves over time. Moreover, the service life of the "housekeepers" is long.

Considering what energy-saving light bulbs have pros and cons, we talked about such an important indicator as operating time. The average operating time of a fairly compact fluorescent lamp is at least 8 thousand hours. At the same time, you will need at least 8 ordinary light bulbs. In order to save your own money, you should also opt for a more economical option.

Most popularlinear fluorescent lamps are used, they are quite compact due to the smaller tube diameter and low mercury content.

Energy-saving lamp base

Socles have a standard size, so both incandescent and fluorescent lamps have one type - E27.

E-14 type sockets are also available for cases where the lamps have a non-standard size, smaller than usual.

Energy-saving light bulbs: power

The power of energy-saving light bulbs varies within a radius of 3-90 watts. When choosing a lamp for the home, it must be remembered that the level of light output of such lamps is 5 times higher than the power of conventional ones. You can choose a lamp for a room using a simple mathematical operation, you need to divide the power of an incandescent lamp by 5 and we will understand what kind of energy-saving light bulbs we need to buy. How to choose this product according to other indicators, consider below.

Color indicator

Fluorescent lamps are designed with special technologies that allow you to reproduce different levels of illumination. These colors correspond to the range of cold-warm. The color temperature depends on the quantity. The higher the temperature characteristics, the closer the light reproduced by the lamp will be to cold tones, and the room will be filled with blue light. Conversely, a low temperature will fill the room with a reddish color.

This indicator is calculated as follows:

• Below 4000 K - warm shades.
• 4000-6400K daylight.
• 6500 and above - cold shades approaching blue.

Rules for operating energy-saving lamps so that they do not blink

When considering energy-saving light bulbs, the pros and cons of these products, one cannot get around the issue of blinking light bulbs. This is bad both for the lamp itself - it burns out faster, and for a person - frequent changes in lighting have a bad effect on the nerves and eyes of a person.

Let's look at why an off energy-saving light bulb blinks and how to deal with a possible problem of this phenomenon.

• From a safety point of view, circuit breakers must be connected to phase, not zero.
• When using fluorescent lamps, switches should not be with a backlight indicator.
• In order for the lamps not to blink, you should pay attention to better models. They must have a turn-off delay of at least 2 seconds, then the bulbs will not blink, even if the night light is built into the switch.
• It is advisable to screw one ordinary light bulb into a chandelier for several shades.

Cautions when using lamps

Lamps rated for medium wattage typically contain around 1mg of mercury. It's about like one ball at the end of an ampoule of pen paste. Thermometers contain about 500 mg. Despite the fact that the difference between the mercury content in a lamp and a thermometer is quite large, one should not forget about caution when using lamps. Even a small amount of vapormust not be released into the air. However, it is not always possible to avoid such situations.

Broken energy-saving light bulb

Many buyers are wondering: "If an energy-saving light bulb is broken, what should I do?" If it does break, the following measures must be taken:

• All bystanders must leave the premises, bypassing the place with a broken lamp.
• It is necessary to ventilate the room well.
• Ventilation should be done only through windows, the artificial air conditioning system must be turned off.
• If an energy-saving light bulb breaks, its fragments and remnants must be collected with thick paper and placed in a hermetically sealed jar or plastic bag.
• Collect small parts and powder with tape or tape.
• The place where the fragments were should be treated with wet wipes. All materials used to collect residues must also be placed in an airtight bag.
• If an energy-saving light bulb breaks, never vacuum up the mercury residue.
• All things that have been in contact with the fragments must be thrown away. Those that are simply soaked in steam should be washed well.
• Shoes should be wiped immediately with napkins and left in the open air to ventilate.
• All unnecessary things should be disposed of, and the necessary ones should be thoroughly ventilated.
• Wash your hands well after disposing of all waste.