LED and fluorescent high power. The difference between LED lamps and energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps. Comparison by light output efficiency

Today, when purchasing lighting sources, we are increasingly choosing between a fluorescent lamp and a more modern LED lamp. We hope this article will help you weigh the pros and cons of a particular decision.

Main differences

Lamp energy consumption

The energy consumption of an LED lamp is about 65% of the energy consumption of a fluorescent lamp.

Spectrum of light

The color component of the spectrum of a fluorescent lamp is of lower quality, its light seems unnatural. The diagram has sharp peaks in the primary colors of the spectrum, so fluorescent lamps They convey some shades of light incorrectly. LED lamps have a spectrum that is closest to natural light, and their spectrum presents a smoother curve.

Heating of the lamp body

A fluorescent lamp heats up to 60 degrees Celsius, it cannot cause a burn, but if the ballasts malfunction (“sticking” of the starter, etc.), extreme heating can occur up to 200 degrees (and up to 120 degrees for the chokes). The LED lamp is absolutely fireproof. The maximum heating of its body is 40-50 degrees Celsius, and remains constant during operation. Therefore, it can be safely used near flammable materials.

Environmental friendliness

Fluorescent lamps used in apartments contain up to 5 mg of mercury, a toxic substance classified in the first hazard class. Throwing them into the general garbage chute is strictly prohibited. Therefore, fluorescent lamps are designed for responsible citizens and require special disposal, which, of course, introduces significant inconvenience. Also, all fluorescent lamps emit ultraviolet radiation and infrared radiation. Prolonged ultraviolet radiation promotes the development of melanoma, accelerates skin aging and can cause retinal burns. Strong and prolonged infrared radiation also poses a danger to the eyes. LED lamps do not contain any toxic substances that can cause harm to humans. Their work does not involve infrared and ultraviolet radiation, so the LED lamp is considered an environmentally friendly source of lighting.

Flicker

Fluorescent lamps flicker at a frequency of 50 Hz. Often we don't feel it, but for some people it causes depression and nervousness. Only with high-quality electronic ballasts do fluorescent lamps have no noticeable flicker. IN LED lamps flicker is completely absent, since they are powered by current sources with a ripple coefficient<5%

Efficiency is the efficiency of converting energy into light. For an LED lamp it reaches 90%.

Life time

The service life of a fluorescent lamp is 5 times lower than that of an LED lamp.

Other Features

Typically, a fluorescent lamp lights up in 0.5-1 seconds. In addition, at temperatures below 10 °C, the brightness of the fluorescent lamp decreases significantly due to a decrease in the gas pressure in it. At low temperatures, mercury becomes less volatile and takes a long time to gain brightness. High ambient humidity also harms the fluorescent lamp and causes the formation of a film on its surface, which negatively affects the ignition of the lamp. The LED lamp turns on instantly and operates in a temperature range from -20 to +40 °C.

I would also like to draw attention to the aesthetic characteristics of the devices; for modern LED lamps they are an order of magnitude higher.

Cost of lamps

For example, we took a 10-watt LED lamp costing 540 rubles, and its fairly high-quality 21-watt fluorescent analogue costing 190 rubles.

Cost of lamps for 30,000 hours of operation:

Based on the service life, the cost of a fluorescent lamp will be 570 rubles. LED lamp: 325 rub. (at the rate of 190 and 540 rubles per piece, respectively). Also, the advantage of an LED lamp is that you don’t have to think about it all this time, and replace each burnt-out fluorescent lamp at least 3 times.

Electricity charges for 30,000 operating hours: based on 1 kW = 3.5 rub.

The cost of operating fluorescent lamps will be 2,205 rubles. The cost of an LED lamp will be 1,050 rubles.

Total total costs for 30,000 hours of work(electricity fee + cost of lamps for 30,000 hours):

Fluorescent lamps: RUB 2,775. LED lamp: RUB 1,375.

It turns out that the LED lamp more than 2 times more effective fluorescent lamp. When using LED lamps, the savings will be more than 50%. And the new generation of LED lamps, which will appear this year, will be 3 times more efficient than fluorescent lamps!

The advantages of an LED lamp are visible for every item considered, except for the initial cost of the LED lamp, but which pays off fairly quickly when used.

Perhaps we really should reconsider some established behavior patterns, buy LED lamps and start saving money and health. We recommend that you pay attention to the New Light Technology company, which offers a large assortment of LED lamps and will also delight you with flexible terms of delivery and payment. You can view the range on their website

Energy-saving light sources (LED, fluorescent) have many positive properties. For this reason, both options are used quite widely. Under certain conditions, it is better to use a diode lighting element; in other cases, luminescent analogues are used. To determine which of these types of lamps is better to purchase for use in a particular situation, you should study the parameters of each and make a comparison.

Pros and cons of different lamps

One of the key parameters is power. It is this characteristic that determines the level of energy efficiency of the lamp. Thus, LED light sources consume several times less electricity than all existing analogues, including fluorescent versions. At the same time, the luminous flux of energy-saving lighting elements is equally intense.

For example, at a power level with a difference of 3 times (for diodes - 5 W, for compact fluorescent analogues - 15 W), the luminous flux will be 450 lm in both cases. But at the same time, the light output efficiency (lm/W) will be higher for LED light sources due to the low level of energy consumption.

Comparing different types

Both versions of the lamps under consideration operate at high ambient temperatures (60-70 degrees). But the service life of LED analogues is noticeably longer: from 30,000-50,000 hours. In addition, this type of lamp is completely safe, as it does not contain harmful substances.

Here lies the main difference between fluorescent and other types of lighting elements: the gaseous filling of the flask includes mercury vapor. This means special disposal is required in case of damage or at the end of its service life.

Another feature of luminescent types is a delay when turned on. Diode analogues operate instantly, and this type of light source is characterized by a complete absence of flicker.

When making a comparison, you should also highlight the heating level of the lamp. Thus, diode versions heat up much less than other types of lighting elements. The advantages of such lamps also include increased durability, as well as resistance to vibration.

How to remake a fluorescent lamp

In conditions where regular and long-term operation of lighting devices is required, it is worth considering using diode analogues instead of fluorescent lamps. You can replace one light source option with another in different ways, the first of which requires less cost, but also involves more work.

It should be taken into account that the connection diagram differs noticeably in each case.

Thus, LED lamps operate at reduced voltage, which means a power supply or driver must be provided. The operation scheme of luminescent analogues is different: for operation it is necessary to install ballasts (electronic, electromagnetic).

Stages of work when changing the design of a fluorescent lamp that contains linear lamps:

light sources are removed from the lighting fixture housing;
replacement will require LED strips of a certain power and a power supply that can withstand such a load;
For fastening, several sets of metal fasteners are used; clamps and pieces of tape are connected with a wire whose cross-section is 0.25 square meters. mm, the emitters themselves are located on plastic strips;
the clamps are attached to the lamp body, plastic strips are inserted into them, onto which tapes are glued, previously connected to each other and connected to the power supply;
the diffuser is installed in place and the lamp is returned to the ceiling/wall.

You can use ready-made linear light sources based on diodes as a replacement. This is a new type of lamp, the design of which already includes a driver, which means there is no need to install a power supply.

In addition, such light sources are equipped with the same base as linear type fluorescent lamps (G13).

Is the design economical?

If you remake the lighting fixture by installing LED emitters, this solution will save up to 50% of electricity. This is due to the fact that diode light sources are characterized by a noticeably lower level of energy consumption than fluorescent ones.

Therefore, removing linear discharge lamps will make the savings more tangible. Of course, if you compare the cost, then diode analogues will cost more. However, given the low level of energy consumption, such light bulbs will pay for themselves relatively quickly.

Thus, when choosing between different types of energy-saving light sources, in different conditions a certain type of lamp will be preferable. Diode-based designs are superior to gas-discharge analogues in many respects; one of their key disadvantages is their high cost. But compact fluorescent light bulbs are close in price to diode ones.

If you wish, you can replace the gas-discharge lighting elements in the lamp with your own hands by installing diode strips in their place. Since the connection diagram of these lamps is different, for operation you will need a power supply that will provide the required voltage level (12/24/36V).

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 (IL), although their use is limited by Federal Law No. 261 “On Energy Saving”, some have finally switched to compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), and 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)

I am currently interested in how the luminous flux of lamps will change when the supply voltage is reduced. 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 to the luminous flux as at a rated voltage of 220 (V).

Illuminance 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.

Currently, incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, fluorescent lamps and LEDs are mainly used for design and implementation. This article will help you understand the types of electric lamps, tell you about their differences, advantages and disadvantages.

Incandescent lamps

Incandescent lamps are the very first type of electric lamps; they are also called “Ilyich lamps”, since in Russia they became widespread under V.I. Lenin.

Advantages of incandescent lamps

Low cost. Today this is the cheapest type of electric lamps.
Incandescent lamps have a continuous (continuous) spectrum of radiation, in the visible part of which orange-red rays predominate. Accordingly, when illuminated by such lamps, “warm” color tones (red, orange, brown) are enhanced and “cold” colors (blue, green, violet) are weakened. However, this factor is not only an advantage, but also a disadvantage.

Disadvantages of incandescent lamps

Incandescent lamps cannot provide high quality color rendering, but they can bring an atmosphere of comfort and warmth to your home. They are absolutely not suitable for lighting shop windows and retail spaces in stores where it is important for the buyer to see the exact color of the product.
Incandescent lamps have high energy consumption. There are models of incandescent lamps with different types of coating, which are more economical.
When designing the interior, you should take into account the high heat transfer of these lamps and use them at a safe distance from fusible (PVC stretch ceilings, polyurethane decorative elements) and fire hazardous materials.

Halogen lamps

Until recently, halogen lamps were second in popularity after incandescent lamps, but new technologies are gradually pushing them out of the market. And if previously they were mainly used in built-in spotlights, now they can only be found in chandeliers or sconces.

Advantages of halogen lamps

Halogen lamps have a more stable luminous flux over time and, accordingly, an increased service life.
Compared to incandescent lamps, they are smaller in size, have higher heat resistance and mechanical strength.
They have high power with approximately three times reduced electricity consumption.
Halogen lamps have higher brightness and increased luminous efficiency.

Disadvantages of halogen lamps

To connect halogen lamps to the mains, you must use a transformer. Chandeliers and sconces usually have built-in transformers, but if you need to place several built-in spotlights, then purchasing and installing a transformer falls on your shoulders. A transformer will significantly increase the cost of the project, especially since if there are a lot of lamps, then several transformers will be required.
Recently, the quality of transformers has deteriorated sharply and people in droves have begun to face the problem of replacing these devices. Since, from an aesthetic point of view, a transformer is an ugly thing, they usually hide it behind a suspended ceiling or in plasterboard boxes. And accordingly, replacing it is quite problematic. Therefore, it is advisable to leave direct access to the transformer in case of its breakdown. The ideal place for a transformer is a closet or closet, and it is not conspicuous and has easy access.

Fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps, also called fluorescent lamps, are divided according to light parameters into lamps with the highest possible luminous flux and into lamps with a lower luminous flux, but increased color rendering quality. Such lamps can emit different colors, which is widely used in lighting shop windows and sales areas. Fluorescent lamps are widely used in schools, in production workshops and in public spaces, since the optimal operating mode for them is one or two on/off per day.

Advantages of fluorescent lamps

The luminous output of a fluorescent lamp is several times greater than that of incandescent lamps of similar power
Fluorescent lamps can last up to 20 times longer than incandescent lamps, provided the power supply, ballast, and switching limits are adequate.

Disadvantages of fluorescent lamps

When turned on, fluorescent lamps flicker unpleasantly and may flicker during operation.
The lamps are sensitive to voltage changes and are not designed for frequent switching on and off.
Used lamps must be disposed of as toxic household waste and delivered to special collection points.

Energy saving lamps

Energy-saving lamps have been developed on the basis of fluorescent lamps; their design feature is the presence of an electronic unit that ensures ignition and further burning of the lamp. Thanks to it, the energy-saving lamp lights up without flickering and operates without the flickering characteristic of conventional fluorescent lamps.

Advantages of energy-saving lamps

Energy-saving lamps can have different color temperatures, which determine the color of the lamp: warm color, daylight (white) color and cool white color, and accordingly their scope is wider.
The amount of electricity consumption of these lamps is reduced by 80%
Energy-saving lamps emit much less heat, and accordingly, from this point of view, their scope is much wider.
Energy-saving lamps burn out much less often than incandescent lamps and they are less sensitive to voltage fluctuations and frequent switching off than simple fluorescent lamps.

Disadvantages of energy-saving lamps

Energy-saving lamps are not the cheapest, but their long service life and low energy consumption compensate for this disadvantage.
The toxic contents of energy-saving lamps require very careful handling. Such lamps cannot simply be thrown into the general trash, they must be taken to special collection points (now they are in every city), and if the lamp breaks at home, then it is necessary to treat the contaminated area in the same way as if you broke a mercury thermometer.

LED bulbs

LED lamps and LED lamps are a very promising area of lighting technology. The devices use LEDs as a light source, which emit light when current passes through semiconductor crystals. At the moment, there are various types of LED lighting on the market, the areas of application of which are almost limitless (illuminations of ceilings, stairs, furniture, aquariums, artificial waterfalls, etc.). LED lamps and lamps are not so widely represented on the market.

Household consumers are gradually abandoning incandescent lamps and using them less and less. They were first replaced by compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). They consume 5 times less electricity, with the same brightness. That is, a 20 W fluorescent lamp can replace a 100 W incandescent lamp. For this they are called energy-saving.

Technologies do not stand still and have strengthened in the market over the past 5 years. The product range is quite wide, from light panels and strips to spotlights and lamps for all possible bases. At the same time, they shine 10 times brighter than incandescent lamps of the same power. Let's take a closer look at the differences between energy-saving and LED lamps.

Interesting:

LED lamps actually also belong to energy-saving lamps, but popularly this name is assigned to compact fluorescent lamps, although they do not save energy in the same way as LED lamps. In the article I propose not to deviate from popular names.

Compound

Energy saving lamps are a compact version of the classic tubular fluorescent lamp, which are produced for pin sockets g5 and g13, usually differing in the thickness of the tube (t5, t8). Compactness is achieved by twisting the tube into a spiral shape. Then, using the same principle of operation, you get a light source that is similar in size and base to common incandescent lamps.

The most popular lamp models are those with E14 and E27 sockets.

The compact energy-saving lamp consists of:

electronic ballast;

In turn, the flask is filled with mercury vapor and its inner walls are covered with a phosphor; the color spectrum and color temperature depend on its composition.

LED lamps, depending on the year of manufacture, were built using different design and circuit solutions and types of LEDs. Early models were produced with 5 mm LEDs, later they were replaced, such as you could find on an LED strip.

The latest innovations are filament threads; they consist of LED crystals located on sapphire glass or other dielectric material, evenly coated with phosphor, which creates the illusion of a luminous thread. Externally, such lamps are similar to incandescent lamps - they have a transparent glass bulb and no plastic in the body.

And this is the general design of most LED lamps:

plastic or metal case;

power supply;

metal board with LEDs;

light scattering bulb.

The first difference between fluorescent energy-saving lamps and LED ones is in the light sources used: a tube with mercury vapor versus semiconductor crystals.

Brightness and power

The lamp has three main characteristics:

Power consumption, W;

Luminous flux, Lm;

Color temperature, K.

In principle, the only possible way to save electricity is to increase the specific luminous flux, i.e. .

For comparison, let's look at the luminous flux from lamps of different designs:

An incandescent lamp, depending on the design features, can produce up to 20 Lm per 1 Watt of power consumption, and most often this is about 10-17 Lm/W.

A fluorescent lamp produces from 40 to 70 Lm/W. It is worth saying that despite the decline in the popularity of these light sources, engineers are improving these indicators and there are publications stating that about 100 Lm/W have been achieved, but I have not seen such on sale.

LED lamps shine even brighter - 80-120 Lm/W. Over the past decade, this figure has increased significantly, and the price has decreased even more. This is the reason for the success of LED products in the market.

It follows that during operation, incandescent lamps heat up the most (more than 100 degrees), energy-saving lamps come in second place (60-80 degrees), and the coldest lamps are LED lamps (30-40 degrees). This is due to the difference in efficiency; when LED lamps operate, the least amount of energy is released into heat.

Resource and loss of brightness

30,000-50,000 hours is the average service life of LED lamps. But it depends significantly on operating conditions. For example, if an LED light source operates in hot conditions, the service life may decrease by 2 or more times.

Fluorescent lamps work for 10,000 hours. But this is also not a static value; there are cases when they process their resource or, on the contrary, burn out prematurely.

The main reason for the failure of compact fluorescent lamps is frequent switching on and off, while those lamps that are turned on around the clock usually outlive their service life by several times. This is due to the principle of operation, more on that later.

The power supply system also affects the service life. By the way, fluorescent lamps with an electromagnetic ballast (choke) lamps work half as much as with an electronic one. But compact energy-saving lamps use only electronic ballast (EPG).

Incandescent lamps shine for 1000 hours. The lamp life will be shortened if the lamp is frequently turned on and off, or if it is operated in an environment with high temperatures and vibration. Impacts and shocks from the light bulb can damage the filament and cause it to break.

Conclusion:

LEDs have the longest resource among the listed analogues. LED lamps are not afraid of frequent switching on and off - this allows them to be used in corridors, toilets and storerooms.

Lamp brightness decreases over time

Incandescent lamps reliably produce their lumens throughout their entire service life, a reduction of up to 7% is possible. The main reason for the decrease in brightness is contamination of the lamp bulb and lampshade.

Energy-saving light bulbs, like any type of fluorescent lamps, tend to age. And the luminous flux is reduced by up to 50% at the end of its service life. This is due to the aging of the phosphor, its burnout, and wear of the electrodes. You may have noticed that old LLs often turn black at the ends of the tube, this is a sign of an imminent replacement.

LED lamps do not produce the declared luminous flux all the time. The luminous flux decreases to 15% after 25,000, which is significantly longer than with energy-saving lamps; during this time you will replace two of them, and the LED will continue to work. Temperature also affects brightness. If the lamp overheats, the luminous flux drops to 80% of the nominal value within 2-3 minutes. If overheated for a long time, the LED crystal degrades and may burn out.

Nutrition method

Both types of lamps require a special approach to power supply. For this purpose, a power circuit is located inside the case.

Compact fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps are a rather specific light source from a power supply point of view; to turn them on, you need a circuit that increases the voltage above the supply voltage in the mains. Previously, a throttle with a starter was used for this, now an electronic ballast (ballast). There is gas inside the flask, at its ends there are two spirals, the voltage is connected to the spirals (electrodes).

To simplify the understanding of the ignition process, I will describe it using the example of an outdated starting system; in electronic ballasts used on energy-saving lamps, the principle is the same, but the approach is different.

Since in the off (cold) state the resistance between the electrodes is high, so they are first heated, the starter is responsible for this. A process called thermionic emission begins and free electrons begin to be emitted.

The starter contains a flask with a gas, for example neon, and bimetallic contacts that close when hot and a capacitor. The current is 20-50 mA, the contacts are heated through the gas flask, they close, and the discharge inside the starter flask stops. Then the current limited by the reactance of the inductor and spirals flows along the circuit: Power source - inductor - spiral - starter - spiral - power source.

The spirals heat up, and the starter plates cool and open. As a result, the energy causes a surge in voltage sufficient to ionize the gases in the lamp bulb, after which it ignites, and the resistance between the electrodes decreases sharply. These processes cause current to flow through the bulb and light to be emitted.

As you may have noticed, the process is quite complicated. Turning on the lamp becomes more difficult if the spirals are worn out or the phosphor has degraded, as well as in the cold. This is a big problem with all fluorescent, gas-discharge light sources - turning on in cold weather. It can either take an extremely long time or not turn on at all if the lamp is not the first freshness. And the final brightness in the cold may be lower than nominal.

Nowadays they abandon this approach and use pulse circuits, which are called electronic ballast or electronic ballasts. You can see its typical diagram below. It operates at a high frequency (tens of kHz), against the 50 Hz supply network in a circuit with a choke. This allows you to get a more uniform and brighter glow, as well as make it easier to ignite the lamp and reduce wear on the electrodes.

LED bulbs

LEDs have simpler power requirements, although still quite strict. The main task is to stabilize the current. A power source is called a device that strives to maintain a given current regardless of the load resistance. In fact, the resistance is limited by the power of the driver.

In the cheapest lamps there is no driver or stabilization; the current is simply reduced by ballast resistance to an acceptable value, provided the voltage in the supply network is normal. But the voltage in the network often deviates from the norm and surges occur, such lamps do not last long, LEDs burn out due to long-term operation at an increased supply voltage, or during a power surge. A typical ballast driver circuit is shown in the photo.

Advantages - galvanic isolation, possible protection, current stabilization, longer service life of LEDs, low light pulsations.

Disadvantages: it is relatively expensive; if low-quality components are used, the driver can also burn out.

Recycling and environmental damage

The main problem with fluorescent lamps is the use of mercury in the bulb; it is harmful to the environment and human health if it breaks indoors. This causes high disposal costs (for businesses). It is necessary to carry out the process of “demercurization”.

LED lamps do not harm the environment, can be disposed of as household waste, and no harmful substances are used in their production. At the same time, there are companies that process them for secondary production. There are publications that individual enterprises are engaged in processing semiconductor crystals.

Conclusion

Let's summarize and briefly list the advantages and disadvantages of lamps:

Energy saving fluorescent:

“-” The problem of recycling and environmental damage.

“-” The luminous flux is lower than that of LEDs.

“-” The service life of 10,000, although longer than that of incandescent lamps, is less than that of LED products.

“+” Relative reliability.

“+” Brightness.

“+” Energy consumption.

“+” low operating temperature.

LED:

“-” The price of high-quality lamps can reach up to 8-10 dollars.

“-” Low-quality lamps have a poor color spectrum and high pulsations.

“+” Energy saving.

“+” Brightness.

“+” Durability.

LED lamps are also energy-saving, but for the reasons mentioned above, this name is assigned to compact fluorescent lamps. LEDs are a current, reliable and popular light source. Engineers from leading manufacturers are constantly improving the quality of light and color spectrum.