Since energy-saving lamps appeared on the markets, conventional incandescent lamps have rapidly begun to lose ground. This is due to the fact that it leaves the name of the product itself - energy saving. However, the latest scientific research shocked buyers with a statement that energy-saving lamps are dangerous. How to choose a "housekeeper", weigh 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 conservation occurs due to high light output. Incandescent lamps significantly lag behind energy-saving ones 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 into light.
- Continuing to talk about which energy-saving light bulbs have pros and cons, we should not forget about the durability of these devices. The average time that the bulb is able to work without interruptions is 6-15 thousand hours. The composition of such lamps does not include a filament, which eventually burns out. Therefore, the period that the housekeeper can serve is several times longer than the operating time of incandescent lamps.
- Energy-saving lamps allow the user to independently choose the level of glow.
- The best energy-saving light bulbs do not overheat even at the highest power. Therefore, they can be used in cramped fixtures made of materials that can be deformed by heat. At the same time, incandescent bulbs can melt the ceiling, plastic accessories on the chandelier and even wires, which is very dangerous.
- Light is distributed evenly throughout the room. In the design of conventional bulbs, light is emitted directly from a tungsten filament in only one direction. An energy-saving lamp distributes light as evenly as possible due to the fact that the whole light. Researchers note that this effect lowers human eye fatigue.
Energy-saving lamps and their disadvantages
So, continuing to talk about what energy-saving light bulbs pros and cons have, let's now dwell on the shortcomings.
- The period that an energy-saving lamp can last depends on the mode selected. In rooms in which the light turns on / off all the time, energy-saving bulbs will not work.
- The price is quite high (from 75 to 350 rubles).
- Duration of warming up. It is impossible to instantly illuminate a room with this lamp, as it gradually warms up. On average, this process lasts 2 minutes.
- The possibility of flickering, irritating the eyes, is not excluded.
- 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. Excess ultraviolet radiation leads to skin diseases. According to studies by doctors, the optimal lamp power for people with problem skin is 21 watts or less.
- These lamps cannot be used in chandeliers where light intensity control is provided. This happens because of an unsuitable design: when the voltage drops at least 10% of the standard, energy-saving bulbs turn off due to lack of power.
- By their chemical composition, lamps are not dangerous in daily use. However, when broken, they release mercury and phosphorus into the air. Pairs of these substances from one light bulb, according to scientists, are able to exceed the permissible norm by 20 times, from which pregnant women and children who are at that moment in the room can get irreparable health problems. If, nevertheless, an energy-saving light bulb crashes, what to do, a simple user does not always know, therefore, there is a set of certain rules that we gave at the end of the article.
- Mandatory special disposal. Blown out lamps are strictly forbidden to throw out 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 in terms of its characteristics and cost.
Earlier, when we chose an incandescent lamp, our attention was most focused on the questions: how complete is the tungsten filament, base and what is the power. Based on the latter, we automatically began to calculate how many kilowatts the meter will show after using one such light bulb. A substantially low indicator of electricity consumption, therefore, a relatively small fee for its consumption - these are the advantages for which buyers prefer energy-saving light bulbs, the price is higher, but they pay for themselves over time. Moreover, the life of the "housekeepers" is long.
Considering what energy-saving light bulbs have pros and cons, we talked about such an important indicator as the operating time. The average operating time of a fairly compact fluorescent lamp is at least 8 thousand hours. At the same time, at least 8 ordinary bulbs will be needed. In order to save own funds, you should also opt for a more economical option.
The most popular are linear fluorescent lamps, they are quite compact due to the smaller diameter of the tube and low mercury content.
Lamp base
The socles are of a standard size, therefore, both in incandescent and in fluorescent lamps, type one is E27.
Sockets of type E-14 are also possible for cases when the lamps have a non-standard size, smaller than usual.
Energy Saving Light Bulbs: Power
The power of energy-saving light bulbs varies in a radius of 3-90 watts. When choosing a lamp for the home, you must remember that the light output of such lamps is 5 times higher than the strength of ordinary ones. You can choose a lamp for the room using a simple mathematical operation, you need to divide the power of the incandescent lamp by 5 and we will understand which energy-saving bulbs we need to buy. How to choose this product for other indicators, consider below.
Color indicator
Fluorescent lamps are developed using special technologies that allow reproducing different levels of lighting. These colors match the range of cold-warm. The color temperature depends on the quantity. The higher the temperature characteristics, the more light produced by the lamp will be closer to cold tones, and the room will be filled with blue light. Conversely, a low temperature indicator will fill the room with a reddish color.
This indicator is calculated as follows:
- Below 4000 K - warm shades.
- 4000-6400 K - daylight.
- 6500 and above - cold shades approaching blue.
The rules for the operation of energy-saving lamps so that they do not blink
Considering energy-saving light bulbs, the pros and cons of these products, you can not get around the issue of blinking bulbs. This is bad both for the lamp itself - it burns out faster, and for a person - a frequent change of lighting has a bad effect on the nerves and eyes of a person.
Let's look at why the off energy-saving light is blinking and how to deal with a possible problem of this phenomenon.
- From a safety point of view, circuit breakers must be connected to phase, and not to zero.
- When using fluorescent lamps, the switches should not be with a backlight indicator.
- So that the lamps do not blink, you should pay attention to better models. They should have a turn-off delay of at least 2 seconds, then the lamps will not blink, even if the night light is built into the switch.
- It is advisable to screw one ordinary light bulb into the chandelier for several shades.
Lamp Precautions
Medium power lamps typically contain about 1 mg of mercury. It's about the same as a single ball at the end of an ampoule with paste for a pen. Thermometers contain about 500 mg. Despite the fact that the difference in mercury content in the lamp and the thermometer is quite large, using lamps, do not forget about caution. Even a small amount of vapor should not get into the air. However, it is not always possible to avoid such situations.
Broken Energy Saving Light Bulb
Many buyers wonder: “If an energy-saving light bulb crashes, what should I do?” If it still crashes, you must take the following measures:
- All unauthorized persons must leave the room, avoiding a place with a broken lamp.
- It is necessary to ventilate the room well.
- Ventilation should be done only with the help of windows; the artificial air conditioning system must be turned off.
- If an energy-saving light bulb crashes, its fragments and residues must be collected using thick paper and placed in a hermetically sealed jar or plastic bag.
- Collect small parts and powder using 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 crashes, never collect leftover mercury with a vacuum cleaner.
- All items that come in contact with the shards must be discarded. Those that are simply soaked in pairs should be washed well.
- Shoes should be immediately wiped with napkins and left to ventilate outdoors.
- All unnecessary things should be disposed of, and the necessary carefully ventilated.
- Wash hands thoroughly after disposing of all waste.