Comparison of incandescent, fluorescent and LED lamps in terms of illumination, pulsation and energy efficiency. What kind of light bulbs are best to install at home?

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Hello, dear readers and guests of the Electrician's Notes website.

Due to the wide range of lamps, people often have a question about which lamps to choose?

Some citizens still use incandescent lamps (ILVs), although their use is limited Federal law No. 261 “On Energy Saving”, some have finally switched to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), while others are already content with LED lamps (LED).

So what should you choose? I often have to answer this question, so I decided to write several articles where I will compare an incandescent lamp, a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) and a light-emitting diode lamp (LED) with each other according to the following criteria:

luminous flux at different voltage levels
lamp ignition time
heating temperature of the body and flask in operating mode
actual power consumption (energy consumption)

For the experiment, I will take an incandescent lamp with a power of 75 (W), its equivalent is a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) with a power of 15 (W) “Navigator” (Navigator) and a light-emitting diode lamp (LED) with a power of 9 (W) EKF series FLL-A.

All lamps have a standard E27 base.

I selected lamps with the same declared parameters of luminous flux and color temperature.

Declared characteristics of lamps (according to the passport)

Characteristics of incandescent lamp:

rated lamp power - 75 (W)
supply voltage - 230-240 (V)
luminous flux - 935 (Lm)
luminous efficiency - 12.5 (Lm/W)
color rendering index Ra - 100
service life - 1000 (hours)
environmentally friendly - does not contain mercury and other harmful substances
Dimensions (diameter, height) - 50 x 88 (mm)

I calculated the luminous efficiency by dividing the luminous flux (according to the passport) by the rated power of the lamp.

Incandescent lamps are fully compatible with dimming equipment (), electronic switches (for example), various types, etc.

2. Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) with a power of 15 (W) “Navigator”

Here are its characteristics:

rated lamp power - 15 (W), analogous to a 75-W incandescent lamp
supply voltage - 220-240 (V)
color temperature - 2700 (K) warm white light
luminous flux - 1000 (Lm)
luminous efficiency - 66.6 (Lm/W)
service life - 8000 (hours)
operating temperature - from -25°С to +40°С
environmentally friendly - contains mercury vapor
Dimensions (diameter, height) - 38 x 151 (mm)

The CFL lamp is not compatible with dimming devices, electronic starters or light sensors.

Has the following characteristics:

rated lamp power - 9 (W), equivalent to a 75-W incandescent lamp and a 15-W CFL lamp
supply voltage - 170-240 (V)
color temperature - 2700 (K) warm white light
luminous flux - 800 (Lm)
luminous efficiency - 88.8 (Lm/W)
color rendering index Ra - more than 82
scattering angle - 240°
service life - 40,000 (hours)
environmentally friendly - does not contain mercury and other harmful substances
absence of ultraviolet and infrared radiation
dimensions (diameter, height) - 60 x 110 (mm)
warranty - 2 years

The EKF LED lamp of the FLL-A series is not compatible with dimmers, electronic switches and other similar devices.

I'll tell you a few words about this lamp.

Today, the LED EKF FLL-A series LED lamp is a new product on the lighting products market. Manufacturers confidently claim that it has advantages over LED lamps from other companies.

Firstly, the EKF FLL-A series has a special composite housing made of aluminum and heat-dissipating plastic, which provides good heat dissipation, which means increases the lamp life (in in this case up to 40,000 hours). If you turn on the lamp for only 3 hours a day, then theoretically it should last for 36.5 years.

Let me remind you that the service life of an LED lamp ends when its luminous flux has decreased by more than 30% of the original.

Secondly, it uses highly efficient SMD LEDs from the Epistar brand (Taiwan), which allow you to achieve a high level of light power - in my example, up to 88.8 (Lm/W).

By the way, the EKF lamp of the FLL-A series has a familiar shape and dimensions, comparable to an incandescent lamp (LN). Also, the light flux has a dispersion of 240 degrees, which is very pleasing.

Luminous flux (illuminance) of incandescent, CFL and LED lamps

Luminous flux is one of the main parameters for lamps, by which the power of light (radiation) perceived by a person can be analyzed. It is measured in “lumens” (Lm).

Illumination is the ratio of the luminous flux of a lamp to the area of the illuminated surface. It is measured in “lux” (Lx). It is by the magnitude of illumination that the intensity of illumination of a particular lamp at different points on the surface is determined.

1Lx = 1Lm/1sq.m, i.e. illumination on a surface is equal to 1 (Lx), if a luminous flux of power 1 (Lm) falls on a surface with an area of 1 (sq.m.)

For each type of premises, whether industrial or domestic, there are its own standards and requirements for lighting (see SNiP 23-05-95 “Natural and artificial lighting”).

In my experiment, I will measure the illumination on the surface of the desktop at one point (exactly in the center of the axis) from a lamp rigidly attached to the same table. The distance from the lamp to the table surface is 65 (cm).

I know that according to the methodology, illumination is measured slightly differently and at different points, but all other things being equal, this will be quite enough for me.

As a lux meter, I use a digital photometer (lux meter - brightness meter) TKA - 04/3. This is what he looks like.

The essence of the measurement is as follows. I will screw the lamps into the lamp one by one and measure the illumination on the table surface.

Illuminance measurement at nominal voltage 220 (V)

First, I will measure the illumination on the table surface from each lamp at a nominal supply voltage of 220 (V).

I'll start with a 75 (W) incandescent lamp.

I screw it into the lamp and use a lux meter to record its illumination value. It turned out to be 560 (Lk).

The next CFL lamp is “Navigator” with a power of 15 (W), presented as the equivalent of a 75-W incandescent lamp.

Her result was about 389 (Lk).

The EKF LED lamp of the FLL-A series with a power of 9 (W), presented as an analogue of a 75-W incandescent lamp, showed a result of 611 (Lx).

Illuminance measurement at reduced voltage 180 (V) and 198 (V)

Me in this moment I'm interested in how the luminous flux of lamps changes when the supply voltage decreases. Let's check!!!

Using a laboratory autotransformer (LATR), I will reduce the supply voltage to 198 (V). This is precisely the lower limit of the maximum permissible voltage from 220 (V).

The illumination from an incandescent lamp of 75 (W) at a voltage of 198 (V) was 313 (Lx).

The illumination from the compact fluorescent lamp “Navigator” 15 (W) at a voltage of 198 (V) was 336 (Lx).

The illumination from the EKF 9 LED lamp (W) at a voltage of 198 (V) was 611 (Lx).

For the interest of the experiment, I will reduce the network voltage to 180 (V). Let's see how the lamps behave.

The illumination from an incandescent lamp of 75 (W) at a voltage of 180 (V) was 224 (Lx).

The illumination from the compact fluorescent lamp “Navigator” 15 (W) at a voltage of 180 (V) was 313 (Lx).

The illumination from the EKF 9 LED lamp (W) at a voltage of 180 (V) was 611 (Lx).

In principle, everything is clear with an incandescent lamp and a fluorescent lamp; their luminous flux decreases depending on the level of voltage being reduced. But pay attention to the EKF LED lamp of the FLL-A series. Its luminous flux remains unchanged regardless of voltage reduction.

I became interested and lowered the voltage to 130 (V). Look at the result.

This is simply stunning! Even at 130 (V) the luminous flux of the lamp corresponds luminous flux, as at a nominal voltage of 220 (V).

Illumination measurement at increased voltage 242 (V)

Now, on the contrary, we will increase the network voltage. Using the same laboratory autotransformer (LATR), I will increase the voltage to 242 (V). This is precisely the upper limit of the maximum permissible voltage from 220 (V).

Here are the results.

The illumination from an incandescent lamp of 75 (W) at a voltage of 242 (V) was 666 (Lx). What a “magic” number it turned out to be.

The illumination from the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) “Navigator” 15 (W) at a voltage of 242 (V) was 405 (Lx).

For clarity, I entered the results on illumination from the lamps in question at different voltage levels into one general table:

From the results obtained, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. A 75 (W) incandescent lamp significantly reduces its luminous flux when the supply voltage is reduced. For example, when the supply voltage was reduced by 10% (198 V), the illumination from the lamp decreased by 44%, and when the voltage decreased by 18% (180 V), the illumination from the lamp decreased by 60%. Conversely, with an increase in supply voltage by 10% (242 V), the illumination from the lamp increased by 19%.

2. The compact fluorescent lamp “Navigator” 15 (W) was declared equivalent to a 75-W incandescent lamp, but with a nominal voltage of 220 (V) it is significantly inferior to it in terms of illumination by as much as 30%. Although, according to the passport, its luminous flux was declared to be the highest - 1000 (Lm) versus 935 (Lm) of an incandescent lamp and 800 (Lm) of an LED lamp.

It turns out that the “Navigator” 15 (W) CFL in question is not the equivalent of a 75-W incandescent lamp, as stated in the passport. Most likely it corresponds to a 40-Watt or 60-Watt incandescent lamp.

Unfortunately, this is not news to me.

I often hear that they replaced all the incandescent lamps in the apartment with CFLs (power equivalence was maintained), and the apartment became “dark.” Now, this experiment confirms my assumptions, so when buying CFL lamps, do not forget about this nuance.

Also, with a CFL, when the supply voltage changes, a change in the luminous flux is observed, but somewhat less than with an incandescent lamp. For example, when the supply voltage was reduced by 10% (198 V), the illumination decreased by approximately 13.5%, and when the voltage decreased by 18% (180 V), the illumination decreased by 20%. Conversely, with an increase in supply voltage by 10% (242 V), the illumination from the lamp increased by only 4%.

3. The EKF FLL-A series LED lamp showed its best performance in this experiment.

Firstly, it has the best value for desktop illumination - 8% more than an incandescent lamp and 36% more than a CFL.

Secondly, when the supply voltage changed from 130 (V) to 242 (V), the illumination of the desktop did not change at all - it remained at the same level. Manufacturers claim that the driver used in this lamp stabilizes the luminous flux regardless of the decrease or increase in voltage. And this is clearly confirmed in the experiments conducted.

Ignition time for incandescent, fluorescent and LED lamps

We already know the illumination of the working surface from the lamps from the first experiment. Therefore, now we will measure the time of complete ignition of the lamps to 100% of the luminous flux, i.e. Let's determine the time after which the lamp reaches its nominal operating mode.

Results:

incandescent lamp 75 (W) - instantly
CFL “Navigator” - 2 minutes
LED lamp EKF - instantly

As you can see, in this experiment the Navigator compact fluorescent lamp is inferior to everyone. Its ignition time was more than 2 minutes.

For an incandescent lamp and an EKF LED lamp, the luminous flux reaches the nominal operating mode from the first seconds.

Color temperature and color rendering index of LN, CFL and LED

Color temperature is the wavelength of a light source in the optical range. It is measured in Kelvin.

A few examples: 1500-2000 (K) - candle flame, 2000 (K) - , 3400 (K) - sun at the horizon, 7500 (K) - daylight.

Color rendering is the visual perception of the same object illuminated by the light source under study (in my case, incandescent, CFL and LED), compared to a reference light source (Sun or absolute “black body”). Dimensionless quantity.

According to the passport data, the color temperature of all three lamps is 2700 (K) - warm white light. The color rendering index for an incandescent lamp is Ra=100, for a CFL it is Ra=70-80, and for an LED it is Ra=82.

I don’t have special equipment (spectrophotometer) to measure color temperature and color rendering index, so we’ll limit ourselves to a visual comparison.

In any case, objects illuminated by an incandescent lamp will have more natural colors than with CFL or LED.

Video for this article:

P.S. To be continued... In the next article, I will take measurements using a thermal imager. Don't miss out - subscribe to the newsletter.

Kurlova Ksenia Alekseevna, Tatarintseva Anastasia Aleksandrovna, Sochneva Yana Nikolaevna

This work touches on one of the pressing problems of human life - improving the quality artificial lighting. One way to solve it is right choice light source.

The relevance of this work is dictated by the transition in Russia since 2011 to more economical electricity consumption, in order to preserve the country’s natural resources.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that, working on this project, the energy efficiency of LED lamps and the economic benefits for the population when using them are proven. The following work was carried out as part of this project:

1) We studied artificial illumination using an Argus-07 luxmeter

2) It has been experimentally proven that LED lamps provide greater luminous flux than incandescent and fluorescent lamps.

3) We compared the pulsation coefficient of LED, incandescent and fluorescent lamps.

4) The economic benefits of using LED lamps have been calculated.

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Comparison of incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps and LED lamps in terms of illumination, pulsation and energy efficiency. Authors: Students of grades 9 and 8 of MAOU “Secondary School No. 11” Tatarintseva Anastasia, Sochneva Yana, Kurlova Ksenia and student of grade 5 Lushin Leonid Head: Vavilina Valentina Sergeevna

Problem Performing homework in my room, I had the idea that eye fatigue was quickly setting in due to insufficient lighting in the room. After talking with my parents, we decided to buy a lamp for my room. But the question arose: which lamp to choose in order to get greater illumination and better energy efficiency?

Purpose of the study: Compare incandescent lamps, energy-saving lamps and LED lamps in terms of illumination, pulsation and energy efficiency.

Objectives: 1. Consider artificial light sources (modern light bulb and a lamp daylight and LED) and identify their advantages and disadvantages. 2. Investigate artificial illumination using an Argus -07 lux meter 3. Carry out comparative analysis the results obtained, and find out which light bulb is optimal for my lamp. 4. Calculate the energy efficiency of these lamps.

Disadvantages: 1. Significant disadvantage incandescent lamps – their low efficiency. 2. Its light is very different from daylight.

Fluorescent lamp 1. Significantly more economical than incandescent lamps. 2.Light close to daylight 3.Long service life

Disadvantages 1. The need for an expensive choke 2. The service life of the lamps is limited by premature burnout of the filaments 3. Special disposal is required 4. Fluorescent lamps flicker at a frequency of 50 Hz.

LED lamp 1. The service life of LEDs is many times longer than that of incandescent and fluorescent lamps. 2. LED lamps are superior to incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps in terms of energy consumption. 3. No special disposal required. 4. There is no flickering in LED lamps, since they are powered by constant voltage.

Experiment To confirm the practical significance of using LED and fluorescent lamps, an experiment was conducted: lamps (incandescent, energy-saving, LED) were compared by the luminous flux falling on a certain surface (photocell). The experiment was carried out in the physics room of our school. To set up the experiment, we used a lux meter 07, an incandescent lamp (power 60 W), a fluorescent lamp (power 13 W, equivalent to 65 W incandescent lamp), LED lamp (power 6.5 W, equivalent to 60 W), a pipe 1 m long, lamp with a cartridge. The work presents photographs of experiments.

Light bulbs

Experiment

Experiment result No. Lamp type Illumination at a distance of 1 meter from the lamp Ripple coefficient, % 1 Incandescent lamp 60 W 805 lux 14% 2 Fluorescent 13 W → 65 W 485 lux 5.2% 3 LED LED- R 63- E 27 6.5 W = 60 W 1626 lux 2.8%

ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF LED LAMPS Let us compare the costs of electricity and the cost of purchasing three types of lamps: fluorescent (energy-saving), incandescent lamps and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps.

Cost: incandescent lamp - 30 rubles, energy-saving - 150 rubles, LED - 370 rubles Consumption: The cost of one kW per hour is about 3 rubles. Our lamp is on for about 3 hours a day when I do my homework or read in the evening. Accordingly, we get 3 x 365 = 1095 hours per year. incandescent - 1095 h x 60 W = 65700 W x h = 65.7 kW x hour energy saving - 1095 h x 13 W = 14235 W x h = 14.235 kW x hour LED - 1095 hours x 6.5 W = 7117.5 W x h = 7.1175 kW x hour Based on this, we calculate the cost of electricity consumed per year:

cost of consumed electricity per year: Incandescent 65.7 kW x hour x 3 (cost of one kW. hour) = 197.1 rubles Energy saving 14.235 kW x hour x 3 = 42.705 rubles = 42.7 rubles. LED 7.1175 kW x hour x 3 = 21.3535 rubles = 21.4 rubles. So, we see that an LED light bulb allows us to save almost 176 rubles compared to an incandescent lamp and 21 rubles compared to a fluorescent lamp. Some will say that the savings are almost symbolic, and here we smoothly move on to the next main advantage of LED lamps - service life.

service life of our lamps LED lamps last 30,000-50,000 hours energy-saving – 10,000 hours incandescent lamps – 1000 hours Let’s calculate the real savings of one LED lamp over its service life, in relation to other light sources. Minimum time LED lamp operation 30,000, i.e. with daily use 8 hours. We get about 10 years! During this time we will have to change 3 luminescent (at best) and 30 simple lamps. From here we calculate the funds spent on the purchase of lamps over 10 years:

LED lamp - 1 pc. x 370 (cost of lamp) = 370 rubles fluorescent lamp - 3 pcs. x 150 = 450 rubles incandescent lamp – 30 pcs. x 30 = 900 rubles, respectively Total savings To the cost of the lamps we add the cost of consumed electricity (calculated above), multiplied by 10 years. As a result, we obtain the following values: LED lamp 10 years x 21.4 rubles (cost of annual electricity consumption for one lamp) + 370 rubles (cost of lamp) = 584 rubles energy saving lamp - 10 x 42.7 + 450 = 877 rubles Ilyich lamp - 10 x197 + 900 = 2870 rubles

We see that during its operation, an LED lamp allows us to save about 2,300 rubles compared to an incandescent lamp and about 300 rubles compared to a fluorescent lamp. And again, someone will say that 300 rubles is not a saving. But here something should be clarified: 30,000 hours is the minimum service life of an LED lamp, but the actual life can be up to 50,000 hours, despite the fact that a very small percentage of energy-saving lamps last the promised 10,000 hours, usually this value is about 8,000 hours. So, these 300 rubles can be safely multiplied by 2. And now it’s time to remember that we considered one light bulb, if we consider a chandelier for a hall with five shades, so we multiply all the resulting amounts by five and get real savings - 1,500 rubles, according to compared to energy-saving ones.

Conclusion The main and most significant advantage of LED lamps is their high energy efficiency, i.e. low power consumption at high level illumination and low level pulsations. At first glance, the very high cost of LED lamps may be considered a disadvantage, but in the long run they are still more profitable. This can be clearly seen in the calculation of the economic efficiency of using LED lamps. I choose an LED bulb for my lamp.

Literature Eisenberg Yu. B.; What you need to know about lamps with fluorescent lamps, - Moscow: Energy, 1964 Danilov V.; Chokeless power supply for fluorescent lamps. // To help the radio amateur, 1992. No. 14. P. 18. Zak S. M., Plenkovsky Yu. A.; Installation of lamps with gas-discharge lamps, - Moscow: Energy, 1982 Zakirov R.R.; Demonstration experiments with a combined lamp. //Physics at school. 2001. No. 1 p. 37. Zakirov R. R.; If you have LDS // Modeler - designer, 1993. No. 2. P. 21. Razumovsky V.G., Shamash S.Ya.; Studying electronics in a high school physics course: A manual for teachers,  Moscow: Education, 1968. pp. 92-96, 121-128. Sidorov M. A.; From splinter to electricity,  Moscow: State Publishing House of Technical and Theoretical Literature, 1953. Fugenfirov M.I.; Control gear for fluorescent lamps,  Moscow: Energy, 1964

This initiative comes from representative of the “A Just Russia” faction Andrey Krutov. The deputy believes that before moving to Energy Saving Technologies, the condition of the electrical networks should be reviewed. Fluorescent lamps, according to Krutov, do not save money. After all, the majority of energy losses in Russia occur not from incandescent lamps, but due to the general deterioration of the infrastructure.

The sale of incandescent lamps was banned in 2009 by the initiative Dmitry Medvedev, who at that time served as President of the Russian Federation. According to the adopted bill, since 2011, Russia has introduced a complete ban on the circulation of light sources with a power of 100 W or more. It was also planned to introduce a similar ban for incandescent lamps with a power of 75 W or more from 2013, and from 2014 it was planned to completely abandon them and switch to energy-saving lamps.

What is an incandescent lamp?

An incandescent lamp is a light source that emits a luminous flux as a result of heating a metal (tungsten) filament.

The filament is placed in a glass vessel filled with an inert gas (krypton, nitrogen, argon). The principle of operation of an incandescent lamp is based on the phenomenon of heating a conductor when passing through it electric current. A tungsten filament, when connected to a current source, heats up to a high temperature, as a result of which it emits light. The luminous flux emitted by the filament is close to natural daylight, and therefore does not cause discomfort during prolonged use.

Advantages of incandescent lamps:

relatively low cost;
instant ignition when turned on;
small dimensions;
wide power range.

Disadvantages of incandescent lamps:

high brightness of the lamp itself, which negatively affects vision when looking at the lamp.

What is the difference between an energy-saving lamp and an incandescent light bulb?

Incandescent lamp	Energy saving lamp
The light source in which the transformation electrical energy into light occurs as a result of incandescence. A metal conductor (a spiral made of tungsten-based alloys) is heated in them to a luminous state.	Electric lamp- This is a flask that is filled with mercury and argon vapor. A special powder (luminophor) is applied to the inner walls of the lamp. When an energy-saving light bulb is turned on, mercury vapor in the lamp creates ultraviolet radiation, which, passing through the phosphor located on the surface of the lamp, is converted into light.
Price and service life
Low price. They burn out quickly, the service life of an incandescent lamp is up to 1000 hours. The reason for the failure of an incandescent lamp is the burnout of the filament.	The price is 10-20 times higher than that of an incandescent lamp, but it is compensated by the durability of the lamp - from 6 to 15 thousand hours of continuous burning.
Luminous output
Low efficiency (about 15%). The remaining energy costs go to heating. The temperature of the heated filament reaches 2600-3000 º C. Light comes only from the tungsten filament.	High luminous efficiency. The power corresponds to five times the power of an incandescent lamp, that is, 12 Wt energy-saving corresponds to 60 Wt regular. The light is distributed softer and more evenly. Eat wide choose glow colors. The color depends on the amount of phosphor applied. Usually the following data is indicated on the packaging: 2700 K - warm white light, 4200 K - daylight, 6400 K - cool white light.

What dangers do energy-saving lamps pose?

Energy-saving lamps contain small amounts of mercury, poisoning with small doses of vapors of which can cause neurological diseases (mercurialism, “mercury tremor”). You cannot simply throw fluorescent into the trash can, as the corresponding icon on the packaging warns the consumer about. District DEZ and REU should accept such lamps. However, in practice this does not work everywhere.

Ultraviolet radiation

When fluorescent lamps operate, a small amount of ultraviolet radiation escapes to the outside of the lamp through the glass bulb, which can be a potential hazard for people with skin that is too sensitive to this radiation. The most dangerous is the effect of UV radiation on the cornea and retina. Therefore, it is not recommended to place energy-saving lamps closer than 3 meters from the eyes.

Unusual color

The light from a fluorescent lamp is different from that of an incandescent lamp, and many people have trouble getting used to it.

Why do they want to bring back incandescent lamps?

According to Andrei Krutov, a member of the State Duma Committee on Energy, the law banning incandescent lamps adopted by deputies did not meet with approval among the population. “We have received many requests from citizens, for them the cost of new energy-efficient light bulbs is prohibitively high - after all, they are often ten or even more times more expensive than conventional incandescent light bulbs, while over the past years we have not noticed the promised savings on electricity consumption,” Krutov said .

According to him, this is not surprising: the effect of energy-saving lamps is completely offset by outdated and energy-inefficient industrial equipment and power lines, where the lion's share of electricity losses occurs. “It turns out that at the expense of the population we tried to increase the energy efficiency of outdated infrastructure, which in the end no one was going to change,” says the parliamentarian.

In addition, for last years collection points for energy-saving lamps were never created. Lamps containing mercury, which is hazardous to health, are simply thrown away with regular garbage, which ultimately harms the environment.

Why was the ban on the sale of incandescent lamps introduced?

In 2009, Dmitry Medvedev proposed saving energy reserves and, for this purpose, voiced a proposal to ban the sale of incandescent lamps and replace them with energy-saving lamps.

“We are truly the largest energy country. But this does not mean that we should burn our energy reserves without any mind. Many years ago it was said what to do with certain energy products and why it is impossible to heat them with oil. But, unfortunately, we continue to heat our planet with oil, literally and figuratively warming our planet,” Dmitry Medvedev made this statement in 2009 at a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council on the issue of increasing the energy efficiency of the Russian economy.

A burnt-out light bulb always has a choice: buy a replacement with an incandescent filament or give preference to fluorescent analogues. The article will tell you whether current energy-saving technologies are so economical, whether there is a threat to health or nature, and many other aspects of the use of advertised lighting.

Technical progress does not stand still, but with each stage of its development the load on the energy industry is growing more and more. You don't need to be an expert to see this. Entering the apartment of the average USSR citizen, one could see several light bulbs, a refrigerator and a TV among the energy-consuming appliances. And even then, this entire set was not typical for every family. Today, a person’s home contains an order of magnitude more energy consumers: an electric kettle, a computer, a washing machine, and dishwasher, microwave ovens and many other common things. And the number of televisions alone is often equated not even with the number of residents, but rather with the number of rooms, including corridors, bathrooms and kitchens.

Currently, decisions are being made at the state level calling on everyone to save energy resources. The simplest and most affordable measure on the energy saving list is replacing conventional filament lamps with low efficiency with economical analogues. The most popular of these is the compact fluorescent lamp.

The operating principle of such a lamp can be learned from our other article, and in this material we will try to reveal its unpopular sides. For example, are they so economical? Often, when choosing one or another light bulb for a lamp, you feel insecure: one is old and cheap, the other is expensive and advertised, and which one is better is not so easy to understand. A lamp with an incandescent filament, tested over the years, has an efficiency of no more than 50%, a new one is an order of magnitude higher, but its cost also differs significantly.

Myth No. 1. Energy-saving fluorescent lamps save us money

Calling for the purchase of fluorescent lamps from billboards and TV screens, many sellers are silent that saving money for common man will be negligible, if at all. Electricity consumption, as the manufacturers claim, will be approximately 5 times less than that of a conventional light bulb. But as for the cost, it is 10-40 times higher than the price of a conventional incandescent lamp.

Taking advantage online calculator When calculating the benefits of using energy-saving lamps, let’s try to find out how much you can actually save on one such light bulb per year. For clarity, let’s take the cost of both light bulbs to be equal to one ruble. Depending on the service, the program and tariffs, the result on the calculator is rarely more than 100 rubles per year. But if we take into account the difference in the cost of lamps, the amount of money saved by the consumer is rapidly approaching zero. However, the calculator calculates this parameter differently. Even if you enter the cost of a fluorescent lamp at about 300 rubles, and an old one - 1 ruble, the calculated savings still stubbornly exceed zero. The reason for this “inaccuracy” in the calculation is simple: it is believed that the service life of an energy-saving lamp is from 8,000 to 12,000 hours, and that of a regular lamp is only 1,000 hours. This is what is corrected for in many calculations. It was with this reasoning that we came to the next myth.

Myth No. 2. Fluorescent lamps last a very long time.

The minimum declared service life of an energy-saving lamp is usually 8,000 hours. In a city apartment with owners constantly missing at work, using lighting for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening, this is quite a lot:

1 hour in the morning + 1 hour in the evening = 2 hours a day
2 hours a day x 30 days a month = 60 hours a month
60 hours x 12 months = 720 hours per year

Let's add another 80 hours for the increased need for lighting during weekends and vacations:

720 + 80 = 800 hours per year adjusted
800 x 10 = 8,000 hours...

Consequently, the service life of such a lamp in an ordinary apartment should be about 10 years and, having bought it once, you should remember about this problem, but it’s not that simple. Frequently turning lamps on/off reduces their service life to a minimum. In practice, a lamp screwed into a bathroom rarely survives to the end warranty period a year long. There are, of course, lamp manufacturers who have solved this problem, but the cost of their products is not affordable for everyone.

Let's consider the second option, when the lamp is turned on continuously. There are no factors that reduce its durability, but 8,000 hours does not seem that long. About 11 months. By the way, working in this mode, the light bulb really saves not only energy, but also citizens’ money. But let's get back to durability. How long will a lamp with an incandescent filament last in the same mode? If it is of high quality, it will last for quite a long time. Perhaps even longer than the energy-saving one, since the reason lamps fail in more than half of the cases is frequent switching on or power surges.

Due to their dubious durability, enterprising Russians have already come up with their own version of saving on energy-saving light bulbs, not very High Quality. When purchased in a store, such lamps are given a one-year warranty stated by the manufacturer. Therefore, if it burns out earlier, it can be replaced with a new light bulb. The replacement will have its own one-year warranty and after some time has passed, you can do the same with it. This is provided for in Article 22 (its 2nd part) of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”. If the light bulb suddenly turns out to be too “tenacious”, there are even several popular ways to “finish off” the latter. The three leaders of the popular rating can be cited as an example:

Almost no fluorescent lamp can withstand use in conjunction with a dimmer (a device for adjusting the brightness of lighting). True, we should warn you about a rare, but still happening fact: some particularly resistant specimens damage the regulator itself, after which they continue to function successfully for some time.
Use at very low or very high temperatures. Usually it is enough to screw the lamp into the street lighting lamp in winter and let it work in normal mode a couple of days. Initially, it will lose a significant percentage of the light, and then it will stop turning on altogether.
Frequent on/off. It is for this reason that the use of energy-saving lamps is difficult in New Year's flashing illumination, light alarms, and with many motion sensors that turn on the lights automatically.

It should be noted that all of the above methods do not work 100%. But this is not the main problem when using this unique method of saving money. Today, no less enterprising sellers pose a great threat to enterprising citizens. The most common trick is an unfilled warranty card, without which it will be somewhat difficult to accept a non-working lamp. The second most popular trick is to reduce the manufacturer's annual warranty to 2 weeks from the seller. But this is not the last option. Even if you were vigilant and kept the packaging, receipt and completed warranty card, an enterprising seller may simply intimidate you with the impending expensive examination and improper use. Let's say right away that all of the above actions do not get along very well with the law. For example, if you follow the norms of Part 5 of Article 18 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”, then for a refund or replacement poor quality goods It is not at all necessary to have a cash receipt or any other document.

Myth No. 3. All these lamps contain mercury vapor

It is believed that the main problem with fluorescent lamps is the presence of mercury. It poisons the air if you break a light bulb, requires additional disposal, and so on. But according to manufacturers, not all fluorescent lamps use mercury, or more precisely liquid mercury. There are many options on sale where the box contains the inscription “no mercury vapor” or a corresponding icon with a crossed out drop. There is truth in this, but only half.

If a lamp breaks in an apartment when it is turned off (dropped, thrown against a wall or from a balcony, stepped on, etc.), then there will be no detrimental effect on environment You won’t be affected by your actions. The reason for this is simple: instead of free mercury, the lamp uses “amalgam”, that is, a metal alloy containing mercury. Under normal conditions, it does not allow the latter to evaporate freely and have a negative effect on humans.

But this is under normal conditions, namely when the light is off. In a working state, the same mercury vapor makes it glow. Consequently, breaking the lamp while it is on will cause equal damage to the room and requires mandatory long-term ventilation.

There are other factory methods to protect potential consumers from exposure to mercury vapor when a lamp breaks. One of them is applying a silicone coating to the flask. Even if the glass layer is broken, mercury vapor in such a product will be retained by the silicone. True, the price for such additional protection is not at all adjusted to save your budget. But here the choice is entirely up to the consumer: expensive, but relatively safe, or cheap, but with additional caution.

It should also be noted that if the light bulb does not contain a symbol indicating the absence of mercury, this does not mean that the manufacturer will leave a mention on the packaging that it contains it. Most manufacturing plants, and not only Chinese ones, happily keep silent about this. However, as well as the fact that the light bulb is subject to specialized disposal and should not simply be thrown into the garbage chute.

Myth No. 4. These lamps are safe for humans

This statement does not always work. It is not so easy to find comprehensive studies on this issue, but the opinions of some doctors who spoke on this topic may fundamentally differ. However, the most frequently pronounced options can be identified.

Fluorescent lamps make it difficult to work with small parts, for example, it is not so easy to thread a needle. Doctors justify this by saying that the glow of mercury vapor is blue spectrum light, which suggests a narrowing of the pupil. As a result, additional lighting is required for more comfortable work.

Flicker. Despite the assurances of many manufacturers that flickering is not typical for compact fluorescent lamps, this factor should not be discounted. Many Chinese analogues or simply fakes may not completely correspond to such statements. A capacitor must be responsible for the absence of flicker in such lamps, which in some instances may not be present at all.

Stroboscopic effect. This notorious characteristic of "flickering" lamps prevents their use in factories. In order to understand how this happens, we can give clear example. Due to the fact that the periodicity of the change of light and darkness during flickering, completely imperceptible to the eye, may coincide with the frequency of operation of some devices, they may appear to be inoperative, while in fact they will be activated. As a result, there are many accidents at the enterprise due to workers’ misperception of the picture.

Ultraviolet radiation. Although such a statement regarding energy-saving lamps has some convincing grounds, it should be considered as real threat not worth it. In summer sunlight exposure to ultraviolet radiation is many times greater. However, if you have skin problems, you should not place the lamp in close proximity.

Unusual cold light. According to some doctors, it, as it is especially close to daytime, can cause sleep disorders. True, there is not much evidence for this statement.

Mercury vapor poisoning due to careless use. When fluorescent lamps began to be promoted at the legislative level, almost everyone found it necessary to worry about the fact that they were dangerous and quite harmful. However, listening to this kind of statements, you should first of all remove from sale all mercury thermometers that contain an order of magnitude more mercury as such. The whole of Europe began its struggle for security with this very thing. Even in neighboring Latvia you will not find a single pharmacy where they are available for free sale.

However, the last statement is in fact an indisputable fact, and some caution should still be observed. For example, screw in and unscrew such light bulbs without holding the glass bulb, since the risk of damaging it is high. And also carry out additional measures to clean the room if the flask breaks. I think we should dwell on this in more detail.

So, let's start with why mercury is so dangerous for our body. According to the degree of danger, three main degrees of exposure can be distinguished: acute poisoning, chronic poisoning and mercurialism (minor). And if for the first case a broken thermometer with a couple of grams of mercury is not always enough (although such cases do occur), then the latter is possible even with a one-time broken energy-saving lamp without taking appropriate measures.

Many defenders of the safety theory of fluorescent lamps argue that the amount of mercury contained in it is not enough to cause poisoning, since in an ordinary thermometer there is 2 g, but here the count is in the tens of milligrams. According to doctors, mercury vapor with a concentration of 0.25 mg/m 3 is retained in the body when inhaled, but above this figure it penetrates even through intact skin. The situation with lamps is aggravated by the fact that if it was damaged while it was working, then there is no time for the liquid mercury to evaporate - in the flask it is already in a heated gaseous state. While a broken thermometer makes it possible to collect metal balls and safely remove them from the apartment.

Contact with low concentration vapors, of course, will not lead to death, but in general there is nothing pleasant. Minor mercury poisoning is characterized by the following:

drowsiness;
fast fatiguability;
weakness and dizziness;
headache;
depressed mood;
slight trembling of fingers with outstretched arms (mercury tremor) and much more.

With prolonged contact with mercury vapor, even the most simple options poisonings turn into chronic form. The most dangerous thing in this situation is that symptoms do not appear within a couple of minutes. Even in the case of acute poisoning, it should take at least a few hours. And if it comes to easy option, then several months or years may pass before the first symptom appears.

If the lamp was accidentally broken in the house, then the following should be done:

remove people from the premises, especially children, since their bodies react especially quickly and acutely to contact with mercury vapor;
ventilate the room for several hours (maximum possible time) to reduce the level of vapor concentration;
remove fragments and scattered powder (simple adhesive tape makes cleaning up small fragments much easier);
if the surface is not so easy to clean (for example, a carpet), it is recommended to treat this place with a specialized solution, you can experiment and use a solution of “potassium permanganate” for this (suitable only for very dark things, where the stains simply will not be visible) or clean with a product containing contains chlorine (for opponents of home-made methods - there is one on sale special means to neutralize mercury).

Myth No. 5. Ecology and energy saving together

Proponents of the use of energy-saving lamps insist on improving the environmental situation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But this development of events is more like a utopia, since for every energy saving light bulb the apartment has additional plasma panel in the floor of the wall, which will nullify all urges to save.

You can also consider the situation with the appearance of mercury pollution in landfills. All the same supporters of fluorescent lamps say in unison that there are many plants for processing mercury-containing waste. Yes, that's true. After all, before the advent of compact energy-saving lamps, mercury was widely used in street lighting devices and fluorescent lamps, so typical for hospitals and other institutions. They were successfully recycled and Russia did not reach the point of global pollution.

But there is still a problem with collection points for such waste from the population and its disposal. Firstly, there are not many such points and sometimes even the most avid environmentalists cannot travel to the other end of the city for the sake of one light bulb to hand it over for recycling. Secondly, the majority simply lack the desire to do any unnecessary actions: the easiest way is to throw them away with regular garbage. The same problem occurs with used batteries. Despite the fact that you can hand them over at almost any hardware store, an increasing number of these elements are quietly sent to landfills.

Finally

According to the law “On Energy Saving and Increasing Energy Efficiency...” quite soon (planned from January 1, 2014), not only high-power filament lamps, but also their low-power counterparts will begin to disappear from the shelves. This law is intended to make a gradual transition to energy saving in homes along European lines. On the websites of supporters of such a transition, many arguments in favor are given. In contrast to the spread of mercury from landfills, they even put a reduction in similar emissions when reducing energy production from coal-fired power plants. Moreover, this reduction is not only calculated, but according to some data, it will exceed by an order of magnitude the distribution of non-recycled mercury from lamps. Such a statement does not reflect the real situation. For every saved energy saving lamp There will be a commercial consumer for a kilowatt of electricity, and the real load on the source will not decrease.

Looking at the problem from the other side and estimating the energy costs associated with industrial sector, you can easily discover that by re-equipping or retrofitting enterprises, you can save much more energy. By installing a variable frequency electric drive on all city pumps utility networks can save up to 80% of their energy consumption. However, such measures are not very popular in our country.

However, there is a way out of the situation with home energy saving. In Europe, LED light sources are increasingly being used for these purposes. They do not require disposal costs, and the actual energy consumption is really low. There is hope for a bright future. Development nano technologies already offers a safe replacement for fluorescent lamps, which does not require either disposal or abandonment of the usual light at night. All that remains is to wait until the new product is brought to the possibility of industrial production and its cost is made acceptable.

Olga Ustimkina, rmnt.ru