Today, many apartment owners prefer to use energy-saving lamps to light their homes. The technical characteristics of these modern devices are such that they can be considered almost the most effective lighting equipment to date. Modern models of fluorescent lamps give natural light, are reliable and last for a long time.
What are the advantages of luminescent equipment?
If you compare energy-saving lamps with conventional incandescent bulbs, you can highlight a number of undeniable advantages:
- Very high efficiency (15-20%).
- High light output. The power of equipment such as energy-saving lamps (W) can be small, and the luminous flux emitted in this case is quite intense. Thanks to this feature, such devices were called energy-saving. Energy savings when using such a lamp can reach 85%.
- Long service life. A fluorescent light bulb can work 6-10 times longer than usual.
- High quality color reproduction.
- Reduced sensitivity to high and low voltages. You can hang such a lamp, for example, in the country. At low voltage, the brightness of its glow practically does not change.
- Low cost.
- Low surface temperature.
Disadvantages of energy-saving equipment
Of course, energy-saving fluorescent lamps also have some disadvantages. These include the following:
- A certain environmental dependence. If the room temperature is too low, the lamp may not light up.
- After several years of operation of these devices, the intensity of the light flux given by them is significantly reduced.
- Harmful substances are contained inside the flasks.
- Sometimes luminescent equipment begins to flash, which is harmful to vision.
- Difficult launch. The circuit of such lamps includes elements responsible for increasing the voltage to the value necessary to turn on.
- Pretty high cost.
Lamp power
What should you pay attention to first of all when buying equipment such as energy-saving lamps? Power is the main indicator determining their profitability. It is measured in watts and shows how much electricity a particular model consumes. A 5 W energy-saving lamp will shine in the same way as a 150 W incandescent lamp .
Light output
Luminous efficiency is another parameter that you should pay attention to when buying equipment such as energy-saving lamps. Technical characteristics in this regard show exactly how much light the bulb gives when consuming one watt of energy. Light output is measured in lm / W (lumen per watt). If we assume that the source converts absolutely all the energy consumed into light, this indicator will be 638 lm / W. For comparison, a conventional incandescent bulb has a light output of 10-15 lm / W. Energy-saving is 100 lm / W.
Colour temperature
The next indicator that you should pay attention to when buying equipment such as energy-saving fluorescent lamps is color temperature. It is measured on the Kelvin scale. According to this indicator, there are only three classes of energy-saving lamps:
- With white warm temperature - up to 3000 K.
- With neutral white - 3000-5000 K.
- With daylight white - more than 5000 K.
The first two options are usually chosen for residential premises. Lamps that give cold daylight are hung in offices, shops, enterprises, etc.
Reviews about fluorescent lamps
Of course, consumers speak best of all about energy-saving lamps from European manufacturers. A good reputation is enjoyed, for example, by devices of such well-known brands as ALB, Era, Philips, Osram. The products of domestic companies have proven quite well. Especially Russian consumers like Cosmos bulbs.
There are not too good reviews about this lighting equipment. However, all of them are mainly associated with products of not particularly well-known manufacturers or with fakes. Of course, the performance characteristics of such devices will hardly correspond to the cost. Meanwhile, to determine the fake is quite possible. You should not buy an energy-saving lamp if:
- The packaging is dented or there is no description of the main technical characteristics on it. The main parameters that should be specified by the manufacturer of such equipment as energy-saving lamps are power, light output and color temperature.
- On the package indicated overestimated parameters.
Mercury vapor in energy-saving lamps
Safety for health is another issue that worries those who decided to use energy-saving lamps to illuminate the apartment. Technical characteristics of the latter, of course, are important. But no less important is the lack of risk of breathing vapor of mercury, which, as you know, is the strongest poison. Probably, everyone knows that it is present in energy-saving lamps. The glow of the phosphor in the flask of such a device arises precisely as a result of the passage of current through mercury vapor. Old-style luminescent equipment is therefore considered quite hazardous to health. However, today manufacturers produce such lamps using modern, specially developed technologies. This makes them completely safe. In addition, very often the bulbs of such bulbs are made not of glass, but of plastic. Therefore, breaking them by accident is quite difficult.
Energy saving lamp caps
The base of energy-saving lamps can have different shapes and sizes. Most luminaires have standard diameter sockets designed for conventional incandescent bulbs. These are usually used in residential apartments and houses.
Thus, an energy-saving E27 lamp is suitable for almost any ceiling or chandelier. Sometimes, small lamps with a small diameter socket E14 are also used in residential premises. Of course, you need to select the appropriate lamp for them. This characteristic is always indicated on the packaging for the device.
Operating principle
The phosphor deposited on the walls of the bulb of the lamp from the inside glows under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. The latter appears as a result of a gas discharge between two electrodes located on opposite sides. High voltage is applied to each of them . The discharge in this case occurs in mercury vapor. Moreover, in order for it to have sufficient power, a very strong voltage is required. Since it does not exceed 220V in domestic networks, special converters designed to increase it are included in the lamp design. If you try to connect the device to the network directly, it simply will not light up. After turning on the lamp, the resistance inside it drops sharply. Therefore, in order to prevent its elements from deterioration, it is necessary to limit the current strength. For this purpose, special schemes serve in the design of each lamp.
Ballast circuit with neon starter
What else is worth knowing when acquiring practical lighting fixtures such as energy-saving lamps? Technical characteristics of this equipment depend, among other things, on which ballast circuit is used in it. In old-style lamps and in some modern ones, neon-starter circuits are used.
The operation of this element is based on heating the bimetallic plate after connecting to the network and, accordingly, closing the circuit. The latter includes capacitors and a coil, which give the necessary initial pulse, and also limit the current passing through the lamp after switching on. This is a simple and fairly reliable scheme of an energy-saving lamp (ballast). However, she also has some disadvantages. For example, such:
- Due to the presence of a coil, a large amount of electricity is required to operate the circuit.
- Over time, the coil may begin to hum.
- Lamps with such ballast often flash. The result is an optical illusion of immobility of moving objects.
- Large enough dimensions and weight.
- Depends on the ambient temperature. In a cold room, such lamps burn dimly or do not light at all.
Modern ballast
Modern ballasts of energy-saving lamps are quite complex electrical circuits that allow you to run them almost instantly and at any temperature. This addition also allows you to increase the frequency of the applied voltage, which prevents blinking. Some circuits turn on the lamp immediately, some with a gradual increase in brightness. The basic scheme of an energy-saving lamp is quite complex and, among other things, includes elements such as transistors, a transformer generator block, a filter from high-frequency interference, etc.
The cost of energy-saving lamps
Of course, such modern lighting equipment is much more expensive than usual. However, high-quality energy-saving lamps (the price of which can vary between about 150-250 rubles) quickly pay for themselves. You can return your money due to energy savings in about 2.5 months. In addition, in approximately 5.5 years, such a lamp also pays off due to the savings on changing burnt out incandescent bulbs.
How to make a purchase?
In order to determine the quality of the product, be sure to ask the seller to turn on the device. In any specialized store that values its reputation, there is always a lamp specially designed for inspection. When testing a lamp, you need to pay attention to the following factors:
- Speed of inclusion. Normal is considered the time the lamp reaches the declared brightness of no more than one minute. Those made using modern technologies light up immediately after switching on.
- The light of energy-saving lamps should be pleasing to the eye. The color rendering index of a device intended for use in a residential building should not be less than 8 (the maximum value for lamps is 10).
Well, of course, you should not purchase equipment from little-known manufacturers. The fact is that large companies with a good reputation usually give a guarantee on their goods, and for a long time. In addition, although such bulbs copy the equipment circuits of well-known manufacturers, they are manufactured using not very high-quality materials. Some elements that increase reliability in the schemes may be absent. For example, very often not too well-known manufacturers use capacitors with a low temperature limit in lamps. This makes it impossible to use them in shades. The fact is that in a confined space the base of such bulbs overheats, as a result of which they quickly fail. This applies to such a device as an energy-saving E27 lamp, and equipment with a small E14 base.
Thus, when choosing a fluorescent light bulb, first of all, you should familiarize yourself with the technical characteristics indicated on the package, and also ask the seller to demonstrate its performance. Well, of course, do not save too much. After all, as you know, avaricious pays twice.