Despite, or rather even due to the abundance of various models energy saving lamps on the shelves of our stores, many have not fully figured out the parameters of such CFLs. Previously, with incandescent lamps, it was much simpler and clearer. There is a lamp power and that says it all. Now brightness, color, temperature, and some other parameters have been added to this. how to determine all this when buying energy-saving lamps? Now we will clarify the situation.
Conventional compact fluorescent lamps are designed for a standard socket type E14, E27, E40. CFLs come in different capacities. Approximately up to 100W under the E27 cartridge and up to 200W under the E40. The color of energy-saving lamps is usually in the range of 2700-4700-6400K.
Any energy-saving lamp is characterized by a number of parameters, such as:
- color - shows the temperature of the glow;
- power - how much electrical energy is consumed when using this lamp;
- luminous flux - the level of illumination provided by the lamp;
- base - indicates in which cartridge the lamp is twisted.
Household energy-saving lamps have three main color options:
2700K - warm - yellowish glow color;
4200K - cold - bluish glow color;
6400K - daylight - the color of the glow is white.
The approximate ratio of power and luminous flux in energy-saving lamps:
11 W - 600 lm;
20 W - 1100 lm;
23 W - 1260 lm;
25 W - 1370 lm;
26 W - 1400 lm.
Energy-saving lamps are marked so that you can immediately determine their main parameters. According to the old designation, the first digit indicates the color of light:
- warm white
31 = 3000K
41 = 2700K
32 = 3000K
- neutral white
21 = 4000K
22 = 4000K
- white daylight
860=6000K
950 = 5000 K
965 = 6500K
According to the new designation, the last two digits are the first two digits of the color temperature, and the first digit is the color rendering index:
- warm white
827 = 2700K
830=3000K
930 = 3000K
- neutral white
840 = 4000 K
940 = 4000K
- white daylight
860=6000K
950 = 5000 K
965 = 6500K
Domestic marking of fluorescent lamps contains a letter - parameter indicator:
L - luminescent;
B - white color;
TB - warm white;
D - daytime color;
C - with improved color rendering;
E - with improved environmental friendliness;
And the number that indicates the rated power in watts. The most common values are 6, 8, 13, 18, 20, 30, 36, 40, 65, 80. For example, the LBTs 20-D lamp stands for: fluorescent white daylight color, power 20 watts.
However, despite the ban on the sale of 100-watt lamps in many regions since 2011, people are stockpiling the familiar and cheaper incandescent bulbs for future use. For the time being, stores are allowed to sell off the rest of the goods, but there will be no new deliveries. So a sharp transition of the population to energy-saving lamps should not be expected. Conscious citizens will still last a hundred watts, because high prices and, most importantly, poor quality of lighting scare away consumers from the novelty. Many comparing the colors of energy-saving and conventional lamps still prefer the old ones.
Discuss the article POWER OF ENERGY SAVING LAMPS
In the face of ever-increasing electricity prices, we strive to save money and at the same time use normal lighting that does not hurt the eyes, is bright enough and does not cause irritation. That is why energy-efficient devices are the best solution for those who want to use high-quality light economically. From this material you will learn which lamps are the most energy-saving, which varieties are on this moment exist, the better one or another type is, and whether their cost really pays off in full.
Energy-saving lamps: which ones are better
To understand which lamps are the most energy-saving, let's compare them with the usual incandescent bulbs already familiar to us all, or, as they were also called, “Ilyich's bulbs”. By purchasing one such device, in just a month you will understand how profitable it is, pleasing to the eye and more economical. Compared to a conventional incandescent lamp, they:
- Consume less energy, but give the same light output. That is, the efficiency this device much higher. Unlike an incandescent light bulb, which gives an efficiency of no more than 18–20%, such a product reaches a maximum efficiency of at least 70–80%. Speaking more plain language, out of every hundred watts, an ordinary lamp, working at full power and heating the spiral, gives out only eighteen to twenty percent of the light.
- They last longer and have a longer warranty period. Any store that sells energy-saving light bulbs will give you a lifetime warranty. In some varieties, it can be about twenty years. Considering how often ordinary lamps burn out, this is very beneficial, because you can always change a burned-out energy-saving device under warranty.
- Pretty safe. All energy-saving lamps (except for the halogen type) do not have a direct connection of contacts, while Ilyich's light bulb has all contacts connected by a spiral. Therefore, in this case, a short circuit is almost impossible.
- They do not carry such a load on the general apartment network as usual. This is also one of the safety indicators, due to the non-congestion of the network, other household appliances will not suffer.
If we consider all these devices regarding their impact on human vision, energy-saving lamps, incandescent, daylight, then they all flicker with a certain frequency during their work. This is due to the way in which an electronic impulse passes through them. This is not noticeable to the naked eye, but upon closer examination, scientists found that:
- The cold spectrum affects vision more than normal and because of this, the retina is destroyed.
- Brightness and more frequent flickering in fluorescent lamps affect the brain and the stability of nerve nodes. People working in an office with such lighting are 30 times more likely to seek help from psychoanalysts.
- According to the latest data from ophthalmologists, the optimal brightness is 2700–3100 K. This is good for both the living room and the children's room. Therefore, when choosing a light bulb, consider this.
- If the lamp is opposite the mirror, it affects vision by an order of magnitude higher. Near mirror surfaces and glass doors It is best to install energy-saving light bulbs. Paying attention to your appearance, putting yourself in order before going to the store or for a walk, your eyes and brain will not be so tired.
If we talk in more detail about what it is and what they are, then let's move on to the next paragraph of our material.
What are energy saving lamps?
By definition, an energy efficient lamp is a special device for uniform light distribution, powered by the mains. In comparison with its counterparts, such a product has elevated level light output and significantly saves electricity.
Such economical devices are linear (LL) and compact (CFL). They all contain mercury and LED substances. A common feature of linear and compact fluorescent lamps can be considered a tangible savings in electrical energy consumption. And at the same time, they fill the space with much more light than the usual incandescent lamps. The latter are gradually falling out of use, since many countries of the world in recent times set the course for the operation of energy efficient devices due to their overall safety and cost effectiveness.
What lamps are energy saving?
Energy-saving fluorescent lamps include compact and linear lamps, which differ from each other in terms of technical indicators and functions. Let's consider them in more detail to understand which energy-saving lamps are best for the home:
- CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) characterized by an arcuate shape, which allows it to be placed in small lamps. They are almost always used at home, being the optimal replacement for conventional incandescent lamps. Often they are included in the package of non-standard lighting fixtures. The composition of such a light bulb contains inert gases (known to many as argon and neon), as well as mercury vapor. The outer case is finished with a phosphor. Due to the collision of electrons with mercury components, an externally imperceptible UV radiation is released, which turns into scattered light (this is facilitated by the phosphor coating). Compact lamps consist of three parts: a base for connecting to the mains, an electronic control device for lighting and keeping the light bulb burning. It performs the transition from the 220W power supply to that which is required for stable operation of the lamp without flickering. The third component of the device is the flasks, which are the outer shell of the lamp. Due to the difference in these elements, the type of CFL is also determined: for example, by the color of the radiation, the features of the base (there are categories 2D, often installed in showers, E27 - for a regular cartridge, E14 - for a reduced cartridge, E40 - for a large cartridge).
- Linear fluorescent lamps (LLL) are ring, straight, or a specific U-variation. Rectilinear devices are in the form of long glass tubes, at the ends of which there are glass legs, where, in turn, electrodes are fixed. On the inner surface of the lamp there is a phosphor coating, and the tube cavity itself is filled with inert gases and mercury. The safety of people from the destructive evaporation of mercury is guaranteed by hermetic soldering of the lamp. Linear lamps differ in terms of the diameter and length of the tube, the width of the base element. As a rule, the larger the dimensions of the LL, the greater the consumption of electricity. Often, such LLs are used in manufacturing plants and enterprises, in offices and public places. The most popular among consumers are compact fluorescent lamps, and their linear alternative is slowly leaving production.
Proven benefits of energy efficient lamps
Summing up all of the above, I would like to emphasize that the use of energy-saving lighting devices in everyday life or at work has many advantages, among which the following are especially noticeable:
- According to manufacturers of lighting devices, the use of energy-saving lamps can reduce up to 80% of electricity costs. The luminous flux of these devices is much higher than that of conventional incandescent lamps.
- Energy efficient lamps have a long service life. This is more than 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs. Such a long operating time is also a big plus for placing economical lamps in places where frequent changes of light bulbs are very difficult (on high ceilings, between flights of stairs, etc.).
- They produce less heat than conventional lamps. Due to this, it is advisable to install small CFLs with a high power rating, especially in complex structures: sconces, chandeliers and swirling lamp shapes. Economic lamps will not melt the wires and plastic elements of the cartridge, which sometimes happens when using ordinary lamps.
- The light of energy-saving lamps is much more beneficial for vision, as it is distributed evenly. Uniform radiance is obtained due to the design of the lamp: the area of \u200b\u200btheir body is larger than that of a spiral of ordinary light bulbs.
- You can choose from different color temperatures. 2700K lamps give white color, 6400K - cold white, 4200K - daylight. The specified data are measured on the Kelvin scale.
For more information on choosing energy-saving lamps, see the video:
The main advantage of LED light sources is significant energy savings. You can get tangible and desired results using the products of the online store.
Energy-saving fluorescent lamps, which have already become familiar to many, are gradually becoming a thing of the past. It is being replaced by lighting equipment of a fundamentally new type, with different light and quality characteristics. Modern LED light sources have a whole range of advantages over their predecessors. This applies to light output, energy consumption, service life, environmental friendliness, fire and mechanical safety. The "minuses" that make their implementation difficult include the higher cost and the conservatism of a certain part of the population.
To overcome doubts, it is enough to turn to power correspondence table LED lamps characteristics of light sources of the previous generation.
Table comparing characteristics of lamps: incandescent, halogen, energy-saving fluorescent and energy-saving LED lamps
The table of correspondence between the luminous efficiency of energy-saving (fluorescent) lamps and incandescent lamps corresponds to
LED and Incandescent
It should be noted that the tabular figures are averages and may differ for. However, the conclusions are clear. Traditional, but obsolete, uneconomical light bulbs lose significantly. The given table of correspondence of the power of LED lamps, even taking into account the inevitable error, convincingly proves the advantages of the new generation systems. To this must be added a long service life, due to their design features and providing a quick and repeated payback. Analysis of tabular data, simple calculations show: the present and the future are behind the LEDs!
Currently more and more topical issue for many consumers, it is the replacement of lighting devices in order to reduce energy costs. And if until recently only fluorescent lamps acted as alternative light sources, today LED devices are increasingly being considered as such an alternative.
And in order to make it easier for the consumer to understand the issues of choice, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with design features energy-saving lamps, and analyze the tables of their correspondence to standard incandescent lamps.
Design features of lamps of various types
As many people know from a physics course, a standard incandescent lamp is a sealed bulb, inside of which there is a tungsten filament, and passing through it electric current, just causes the required glow. And although this design is not particularly complex, a number of significant drawbacks still make many users abandon incandescent lamps.
So the main disadvantage of such devices is their low efficiency, because when power is applied, only 10% of the energy is used for its intended purpose, and the rest are simply converted into heat. In addition, incandescent lamps have a short life and cannot provide high light output.
If we talk about the design features of fluorescent lamps, then the principle of their operation is based on several other properties. Indeed, in such a device, the main element is a glass tube filled with mercury vapor. Whereas the glow of the element becomes possible when the plasma is formed, due to the heating of the electrodes (by applying voltage to them).
As a result, the technical and economic indicators of such lamps are several times higher than incandescent lamps, but they still differ from them by an increased cost. In such lamps, the efficiency reaches 75%, and only a quarter of the energy expended is spent on heating. (For information on how to unscrew a stuck light bulb from a cartridge, see the following information).
A real breakthrough in the field of energy efficiency can be called the use of LED lamps, because their main component is an LED matrix, which allows to significantly reduce energy consumption and at the same time significantly improve consumer parameters (light output, service life, fire safety). In addition, such devices are absolutely environmentally friendly (especially important in comparison with fluorescent lamps) and can be successfully operated in aggressive environmental conditions (high humidity, vibration, etc.). Well, the only drawback of lamps made on the basis of LEDs is their cost, however, taking into account the price of energy carriers, it is not so significant.
Technical characteristics of lighting fixtures
In order to make it easier for the consumer to understand the need to use energy-saving lamps, it is advisable to consider the main technical parameters that characterize lighting devices.
Appliance power
Shows the degree of power consumption and is measured in Watts (W or W). Ideally, one should strive to reduce this parameter through the use of innovative lighting systems.
Light flow
It is indicated in lumens (lm or Lm) and allows the consumer to know the level of light energy generated by the device. When choosing energy-saving lamps, it should be borne in mind that the luminous flux tends to decrease during operation.
glow temperature
It is indicated in kelvins (K) and allows you to find out the color of the lamp, and most often this criterion is divided by manufacturers into the following groups:
2700-3300 K analogue of a standard incandescent lamp or "warm color";
4000-4200 K is an analogue of a fluorescent lamp, which has a similar shade to natural light;
5000 K "cold shade".
Correspondence tables for energy-saving lamps
For the convenience of the consumer, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the comparative table of technical criteria for lamps of various types.
In addition, it is desirable to consider the comparative characteristics for lamps of different groups, depending on their light output.
|
Characteristic source |
Standard incandescent |
energy saving Fluorescent Lamp |
energy saving LED lamp (LED) |
|
Very high |
Extremely low (Lamp doesn't get hot) |
||
|
Mechanical sustainability |
Extremely low |
||
|
Lifetime |
up to 9000 hours |
50,000 hours or more |
|
|
Power consumption at luminous flux approx. |
75W |
15W |
10W |
|
0.3 - $1 |
3 - 5 dollars |
5 - 10 dollars |
|
|
Lamp type |
Standard incandescent |
energy saving Fluorescent Lamp |
energy saving LED lamp (LED) |
|
Power lamp consumption (W) with the same light output |
|||
Of course, the presented technical data is indicative and may differ slightly depending on the operating conditions, the manufacturer, the quality of the electrical network and other factors. However, even taking into account such deviations, it can be stated with certainty that modern systems lighting is the future.
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Important indicators of energy saving lamps
To choose the right energy-saving lamp (ECL) for your space, it is important to know the selection criteria for the main technical characteristics of energy-saving lamps.
The main parameters of the ESL include;
— lamp dimensions. Of course, you need to pay attention to the size of the lamps, since in general ESLs are larger than incandescent bulbs and may not fit in the lamp shade;
— plinth type these lamps are the same as incandescent ones - these are E27 type bases (27 mm in diameter), the most common, E14 base (14 mm in diameter), they are mainly intended for installation in chandeliers, multi-track lamps. Socle type E40 is designed for lamps installed in spotlights;
— lamp glow color has a color gradation from a cold white glow to yellow.
Bases of energy-saving lamps E 14 (left) and E27 (right)
Technical characteristics of energy-saving lamps
The main characteristics of ESL include;
— Power consumed by the lamp. For private use, lamps with a power of 5 to 100 W are purchased, and for industrial needs 5 - 250 W.
When choosing an ESL, you need to know that they have a luminous efficiency 5 times higher than incandescent specimens. For example, a 20 watt ESL can replace a 100 watt filament. The package indicates the power of the replaced incandescent lamp;
Table of characteristics of energy-saving lamps - power comparison
— Lifetime ESL is 8 times higher than a conventional incandescent light bulb, which is equal to 1000 hours of operation in ideal conditions. The increase in service life is achieved by a different principle of lamp operation, in which the filament consumes much less current. These lamps do not need a high wattage to ignite an inert gas, which significantly increases their service life. The product's service life is indicated on the packaging;
— Light flow determines the quality of the lamp, the higher the quality, the higher the luminous flux. The measure of luminous flux is lumen (lm) and is also indicated on the packaging
;- Light output ESL is an indicator of lamp efficiency, which for incandescent bulbs has a value of 10 - 15 lm / W, and for ESL 50 - 80 lm / W, which is much higher, but not yet ideal. According to this parameter, there is a system for classifying electricity consumption by lighting sources. These 7 gradations are denoted by the letters A - G, where classes A and B are occupied by energy-saving lamps with lower power consumption;
— Colorful temperature is a measure of the color of the lamp. In ESL, the color of the glow is determined by the type of phosphor and is measured in Kelvin (K). For incandescent lamps, the color temperature is in the range of 2703 - 3000 K - this is the color of the glow of the sky at sunset. Day or natural color has a color temperature of 4000 - 4200 K. The cool color range is in the range of 6000 - 6500 K.
Such a bright white color of the glow causes eye fatigue and the main use of these ESLs is the illumination of streets and squares. The power indicator of the lamps does not affect their luminous flux. With the same power ESL, the luminous flux can be different. Also, new designs of energy-saving lamps may have less power and higher luminous flux, while older models with higher power have less luminous flux;
— Color rendering index shows the natural color of objects when illuminated by different ESL. This indicator ideally has a value of 100 Ra. For a comfortable perception of objects, the color rendering index should be within 80 - 100 Ra. More low index shows the worst color rendering properties.
Labeling of energy-saving lamps
The designation of energy-saving lamps for Russian models has a letter meaning, which indicates that;
- L is luminescent;
- B - lamps white color glow; - TB - glow color is warm - white;
- D - day color;
- C - illumination with improved color rendering;
- E - means good environmental friendliness.
Characteristics of the luminous flux and color temperature of energy-saving lamps. Labeling of energy-saving lamps
In deciphering the international designation, the first digit reflects the color rendering index, while the others are indicators of the color temperature multiplied by 100. For lamps with a good color rendering index (high-quality phosphor), the first digit should not be lower than 8. For private use, the color temperature within 2700 and 3600 K, and the marking in numbers should be 827, 830, and also 836.
