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How to choose a bright energy-saving light bulb. How to choose energy-saving lamps for your home. LED energy saving lamps

Modern lighting technologies have significantly expanded, but at the same time complicated the choice of light bulbs for home use. If earlier in 90% of apartments there was little besides ordinary incandescent light bulbs from 40 to 100 W, today there are a great variety of varieties and types of lighting lamps.

Buying the right type of lamp for a lamp in a store is not such an easy task.
What do you want from quality lighting first of all:

  • comfort for the eyes
  • energy savings
  • harmless use

Type of base

Before purchasing a light bulb, it is first important to determine the required type of base. Most household lighting fixtures use two types of threaded base:


They differ accordingly in diameter. The numbers in the designation indicate its size in millimeters. That is, E-14=14mm, E-27=27mm. There are also adapters for lamps from one lamp to another.

If the lampshades of the chandelier are small, or the lamp has some specific features, then a pin base is used.

It is designated by the letter G and a number that indicates the distance in millimeters between the pins.
The most common are:

  • G5.3 - which are simply inserted into the luminaire connector
  • GU10 - first inserted and then turned a quarter turn

The spotlights use the R7S base. It can be used for both halogen and LED lamps.

The lamp power is selected based on the limitations of the lighting fixture in which it will be installed. Information about the type of base and the power limitation of the lamp used can be seen:

  • on the box of the purchased lamp
  • on the lampshade already installed
  • or on the light bulb itself

Flask shape

The next thing you need to pay attention to is the shape and size of the flask.

A flask with a threaded base may have:


Pear-shaped ones are designated by the nomenclature - A55, A60; ball ones - with the letter G. The numbers correspond to the diameter.
Candles are marked with the Latin letter - C.

A bulb with a pin base has the shape:

  • small capsule
  • or flat reflector

Lighting standards

Lighting brightness is an individual concept. However, it is generally accepted that for every 10 m2 with a ceiling height of 2.7 m, a minimum illumination equivalent of 100 W is required.

Illumination is measured in lux. What is this unit? In simple words, when 1 lumen illuminates 1 m2 of room area, then this is 1 lux.

The standards differ for different rooms.

Illumination depends on many parameters:

  • from distance to light source
  • colors of surrounding walls
  • reflection of light flux from foreign objects

Illumination can be measured very easily using standard smartphones. All you need to do is download and install a special program. For example – Luxmeter (link)

True, such programs and phone cameras usually lie compared to professional light meters. But for household needs, this is more than enough.

Incandescent and halogen bulbs

The classic and most inexpensive solution for lighting an apartment is the familiar incandescent lamp, or its halogen version. Depending on the type of base, this is the most affordable purchase. Incandescent and halogen bulbs provide comfortable, warm light without flickering and do not emit any harmful substances.

However, it is not recommended to touch the bulb with your hands for halogen lamps. Therefore, they must come packaged in a separate bag.

When a halogen light is lit, it becomes very hot. And if you touch its bulb with greasy hands, residual stress will form on it. As a result of this, the spiral in it will burn out much faster, thereby reducing its service life.

In addition, they are very sensitive to power surges and often burn out because of this. Therefore, they are installed together with soft start devices or connected via dimmers.

Halogen lamps are mostly manufactured to operate from a single-phase network with a voltage of 220-230 Volts. But there are also low-voltage 12-volt ones that require connection via a transformer for the appropriate type of lamp.

A halogen lamp shines brighter than a regular one, by about 30%, but consumes the same power. This is achieved due to the fact that it contains a mixture of inert gases inside.

In addition, during operation, particles of tungsten elements are returned back to the filament. In a conventional lamp, gradual evaporation occurs over time and these particles settle on the bulb. The light bulb dims and works half as hard as a halogen light bulb.

Color rendering and luminous flux

The advantage of conventional incandescent lamps is a good color rendering index. What it is?
Roughly speaking, this is an indicator of how much light close to solar light is contained in the scattered flux.

For example, when sodium and mercury lamps illuminate the streets at night, it is not entirely clear what color people’s cars and clothes are. Since these sources have a poor color rendering index - around 30 or 40%. If we take an incandescent lamp, then the index is already more than 90%.

Currently, the sale and production of incandescent lamps with a power exceeding 100W is not permitted in retail stores. This is done for reasons of preserving natural resources and saving energy.

Some people still mistakenly choose lamps based on the power labels on the packaging. Remember that this number does not indicate how bright it shines, but only how much electricity it consumes from the network.

The main indicator here is luminous flux, which is measured in lumens. This is what you need to pay attention to when choosing.

Since many of us previously focused on the popular power of 40-60-100W, manufacturers for modern energy-saving lamps always indicate on the packaging or in catalogs that their power corresponds to the power of a simple incandescent light bulb. This is done solely for the convenience of your choice.

Luminescent - energy saving

Fluorescent lamps have a good level of energy savings. Inside them there is a tube from which the flask is made, coated with phosphor powder. This provides a glow 5 times brighter than incandescent lamps at the same power.

Luminescent ones are not very environmentally friendly due to the coating of mercury and phosphor inside. Therefore, they require careful disposal through certain organizations and containers for receiving used light bulbs and batteries.

They are also subject to flicker. This is easy to check; just look at their glow on the display through your smartphone’s camera. It is for this reason that it is not advisable to place such light bulbs in residential areas where you are constantly present.

LED

LED lamps and lamps of various shapes and designs are widely used in various spheres of life.

Their advantages:

  • resistance to temperature overloads
  • negligible effect on voltage drops
  • ease of assembly and use
  • high reliability under mechanical loads. There is minimal risk that it will break if dropped.

LED lamps heat up very little during operation and therefore have a lightweight plastic body. Thanks to this, they can be used where others cannot be installed. For example, in suspended ceilings.

Energy savings from LEDs are greater than from fluorescent and energy-saving ones. They consume approximately 8-10 times less than incandescent lamps.

If we roughly take the average parameters for power and luminous flux, we can obtain the following data:

These results are approximate and in reality will always differ, since much directly depends on the voltage level, manufacturer brand and many other parameters.

For example, in the USA, in one fire station, an ordinary incandescent light bulb, which is already more than 100 years old, is still burning. There was even a special website created where you can watch her online through a web camera.

Everyone is waiting for it to burn down in order to record this historical moment. You can take a look.

Light flow

This is precisely its feature and advantage, which is widely used in open lamps.

For example, if we are talking about crystal chandeliers, then when using an ordinary LED lamp in it, due to its matte surface, the crystal will not “play” and shimmer. It shines and reflects light only when the beam is directed.

In this case, the chandelier does not look very rich. The use of filament in them reveals all the advantages and beauty of such a lamp.

These are all the main types of lighting lamps widely used in apartments and residential buildings. Choose the option you need according to the above characteristics and recommendations, and arrange your home correctly and comfortably.

Electricity prices are now such that, willy-nilly, you begin to think about saving. The easiest way to lower your energy bills is to reduce your lighting costs. It is this that “eats” most of the kilowatts in an ordinary apartment or house. We will discuss which lamps are better for the home and according to what parameters in this article.

You can see different lamps on store shelves. Let's take a closer look at those that are installed in private houses and apartments.

Lighting in the house should be cozy, comfortable... preferably economical

Incandescent lamps

The oldest lighting devices are more than a century old. They provide light that is pleasant to the eye, but during operation they get very hot, as they have low efficiency - about 97% of the energy is spent on heat generation. Therefore, lighting using conventional incandescent lamps is expensive. It is for this reason that many decide to replace them with more economical ones, while deciding which lamps are better for the home and for the wallet.

There is another unpleasant property of incandescent lamps - their service life is not very long. On average it is about 1000 -3000 hours. Since the price of these lighting fixtures is low, it is a small burden on the wallet. However, frequent replacement can be nerve-wracking - you have to always have a couple of pieces in stock.

A widespread trend - traditional incandescent lamps are being replaced by more economical ones

It is also worth taking into account that, due to the design features, they are produced only with a screw base, but they operate from a 220 V network and do not require any converters or special devices. Due to the large amount of heat, they are not used for lighting furniture; they are not compatible with all suspended ceilings, and they are not at all friendly with suspended ceilings. In general, this is a classic lighting, but not ideal.

Halogen

Halogen lamps are a type of incandescent lamp. They differ in that the flask is filled with halogen vapor (most often iodine or bromine), which increases the service life by 2-3 times. The design allows them to be made not only with a screw base, but also with a pin base. Different bulb shapes and the use of reflective coating make it possible to create light sources with different scattering angles. Therefore, at one time, they were widely used as built-in ceilings or furniture.

Halogen incandescent lamps - a more “advanced” option

Since these are also incandescent lamps, they have almost the same disadvantages - significant heat generation. And that's the problem. But the energy consumption is less (about 2-3 times). So they are more economical compared to the classic design. But they have an additional disadvantage - they do not tolerate contaminants on the flask. A fingerprint can cause burnout. Therefore, installation must be done with gloves.

Luminescent: tubular and compact (housekeepers)

The operation of these lighting devices uses another principle - the property of certain phosphor substances to emit light under certain conditions. Structurally, it consists of a glass tube coated with a phosphor. Inside the tube there are electrodes and a certain amount of mercury vapor. An electric charge is created on the electrodes, the energy of which is converted into light radiation using a phosphor.

To create and maintain an electric charge, fluorescent lamps need a starting and regulating device - a voltage transformer and a starter. In the standard version, these devices are mounted on the body of lamps, which can only work with this type of lighting fixture.

Available in two types:


If we talk about comparison with incandescent lamps, they are 3 times more economical and hardly heat up. A serious disadvantage is that due to the pulsation, the light is unpleasant for the eyes and potentially hazardous to health (leads to increased fatigue and can cause a bad mood). In this type of lighting fixtures, it is almost impossible to get rid of pulsation. What can be done is to minimize it and, by adding one incandescent lamp, reduce the negative effect to a minimum.

Many are also concerned that the flask contains mercury vapor inside, which carries a potential danger. This is briefly about the main disadvantages, then we will consider in more detail the pros and cons of fluorescent lamps.

LED

This is the third type of lamp that uses semiconductor devices - LEDs. They do not require any special atmosphere, so their flask is not airtight, and this is more a tribute to tradition than a necessity. All the LEDs need to operate is a constant voltage of 12 V or 24 V. So operation is not difficult - to connect to a 220 V network you need a voltage converter (power supply, adapter). In LED lamps for standard luminaires, this converter is built into the housing, so they can easily replace conventional incandescent lamps.

Briefly about the properties. They have high efficiency - they require 7-8 times less electricity than similar incandescent lamps, and have a much longer service life (according to manufacturers' requests, they can work for 25-35 years). Disadvantages - they are expensive, it is difficult to determine the quality, low-grade ones have strong pulsation, which negatively affects the eyes and well-being, and often fail. Therefore, choosing an LED lamp is not an easy task and requires certain knowledge. But the bills actually become significantly smaller.

Which lamps are best for home

All these lighting devices are used to illuminate residential premises. It is definitely impossible to answer which lamps are best for the home - they all have advantages and disadvantages. If your main concern is eye comfort, the answer to the question “which lamps are best for the home” is incandescent. But at the same time you will not be able to save on lighting. The situation is a little better with halogen ones. But the lighting from 12 V halogens is more pleasing to the eye, which requires transformers. Those that operate on 220 V have too bright light.

When it comes to saving on electricity bills, LED bulbs are the best. This is undeniable. But you need to buy them wisely - so that they are of good quality and work for a long time, but these are expensive. But, even under such conditions, they are beneficial, since they really help to significantly reduce energy consumption. A

Why LED and not housekeepers? Let's compare their properties.

Comparing fluorescent and LED light bulbs

When people have a desire to reduce their electricity costs, they begin to think about replacing incandescent lamps with more energy-efficient ones. These are considered energy-saving (compact fluorescent) and LED. To understand which lamps are best for your home, you need to take a closer look at their advantages and disadvantages.

Having decided to replace incandescent lamps with more economical ones, you need to decide the question: which lamps are better for the home - LED or compact fluorescent

Housekeepers

This is what compact fluorescent lamps are called. They were the first to appear on the market (compared to LED ones), which is why this name was assigned to them. Let's start with advantages:


At the time this was a very good offer. The ability to obtain “warm” and “cold” light and save on electricity - all this has led to the popularity of energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs.

But flaws they have serious:


There are many shortcomings, and almost all of them are serious. They are the ones who stop many, even despite the savings.

LED

These light bulbs are made on the basis of semiconductor elements - LEDs. A certain number of them are installed in a single housing and connected to a power source. Power supply is from a constant voltage of 12 V. In order to use lamps in standard lamps, a rectifier and a circuit that lowers the voltage to 12 V are built into the housing (both of these devices are often called a driver).

LEDs generate heat when operating. To remove it, a radiator is built into the body. And the bases of these lamps are different. They can be installed instead of incandescent lamps of different sizes, halogen, tubular fluorescent.

If we compare all four types in terms of power consumption with equal luminous flux

Advantages LED lamps:

  • They consume 7-8 times less electricity than incandescent ones, and 2-3 times less than fluorescent ones (housekeepers too).
  • They have a long service life.
  • Not afraid of vibration and shock.
  • Lights up immediately after switching on.
  • They have a wide range of operating temperatures -40°C to +40°C.
  • Can be of any shade (any color).
  • There are dimmable ones (changing the brightness of the light).

The advantages are impressive. The efficiency and service life are particularly impressive. But the figures stated by the manufacturers (about 25-35 years) must be treated with skepticism. They are for ideal conditions, which are practically unattainable in our realities. The warranty period declared by the manufacturers actually indicates the service life. This is the time they will most likely work. But even despite this, the period is considerable - 2-5 years.

Without shortcomings it didn't work either:

  • High price. 4-5 times more expensive than energy-saving ones and 20-40 times more expensive than incandescent ones.
  • Low quality LED lamps have significant pulsation.
  • Without a diffuser, the light will blind the eyes, which is why most LED lamps are made with milky glass. Those in a transparent flask can only be used in conjunction with matte shades.
  • LEDs are afraid of overheating. When the critical temperature (about 90°C) is exceeded for a long time, they lose their brightness. Therefore, it is unreasonable to use LED lamps in closed-type lamps.

When compared with the properties of fluorescent lamps, LEDs clearly have the advantage. But everything is not so rosy in reality.

Which lamps are better for the home: LED or fluorescent?

In fact, LED lamps are better in all respects. But eating it hurts “BUT”. These must be high-quality LED lamps. The thing is that the manufacturing technology is simple and does not require highly complex or very expensive equipment. It is difficult to make LEDs, but assembling an LED light bulb from them is not difficult. That’s why there are a lot of fakes and low-quality goods on the market. They use cheap, low-quality crystals; the driver is made to be the simplest, which does not suppress flicker and quickly fails.

The difficulty is that it is impossible to determine “by eye” the quality of LEDs or the same driver. Some experts are able to distinguish good LEDs by appearance. But in lamps they are hidden under a frosted bulb. Having set a goal, their quality can be checked by indirect signs - by measuring illumination, pulsation, and assessing color rendition. But the quality of the parts used in the power supply cannot be assessed. You will only find out when something burns out.

All this leads to the fact that many consider LED lamps unreliable - they burn out quickly and are expensive. So it turns out that there is no saving. And there are also problems with flickering... It seems so, but this is only true if you buy cheap LED lamps. Branded lamps really serve for years without problems and produce an even light that is pleasing to the eyes. So the main task is to find good quality LED lamps. And then you will know exactly which lamps are best for your home.

Instead of the bottom line: replacing incandescent lamps with LED ones will save on lighting bills only if they are used for a long time, and this is possible only if they are of high quality. High-quality light bulbs are not cheap. So, perhaps, this is the case when saving during the purchase is not worth it.

Power, equivalent power and luminous flux

The power of energy-saving lamps is very small - from 4 W, and at first it is difficult to navigate: how much light will it give? We know very well how a regular incandescent lamp with a power of 40, 60, 75 or 95 W shines, and the lamps are designed for incandescent lamps of a certain power. Therefore, when choosing an energy-saving lamp, you need to pay attention to the power equivalent written on the packaging. For example, a power of 4.5–6 W is the equivalent of 40 W for an incandescent lamp, 6–10 W is the equivalent of 60 W. The boxes usually have inscriptions in Russian: for example, “5.5 W corresponds to 50 W,” but in English it is also easy to understand: “5.5 W similar to 50 W.”

Pay attention to the equivalent power

True, for some types of lamps, experts advise looking not so much at the power and equivalent, but at the luminous flux: power may not directly affect the brightness of the lamp, and there is no single standard for the relationship between power and brightness.

How do you know how much light a lamp will produce? This parameter best reflects the luminous flux measured in lumens. If you want an LED lamp to produce the same light as a 60 W incandescent lamp, then you need a lamp with a luminous flux of about 600 lm. If you want to replace a 40 W lamp, then the luminous flux should be 400 Lm, etc.

Colorful temperature

The lower the color temperature, the “yellower” and warmer the light; the more, the whiter (or bluer) and “colder”. It is measured in kelvins, just like ordinary temperature (kelvins are like degrees Celsius, only their zero is not at the freezing point of water, but at absolute zero), but you don’t have to think about it, just correlate the numbers.

Conventional incandescent light bulbs have a color temperature of less than 3000 K: about 2700–2800 K, so when switching from incandescent lamps to energy-saving ones, many feel that the light has become less pleasant, harsh, and irritating.

For energy-saving lamps, the warmest light will be 3000–3500 K; such lamps glow yellowish. If this parameter is from 4000 to 4500 K, then the light will be white and cold. In principle, this is a good option for “public places”; you can have such light at home if necessary, but you won’t relax with it. There is an even higher color temperature - 5000-6500, such lamps are not suitable for household lighting, only for hangars, warehouses, shops, salons, etc.

Warm or cold?

Color rendering index (CRI)

The light source affects the perception of color by the human eye. Sunlight is considered the reference; its color rendering index is 100. The closer the CRI is to this value, the more correct and natural colors we will see when illuminated by a lamp. For an energy-saving lamp, it is good if the CRI is greater than 80.

Life time

The “lifetime” of a lamp can be measured in hours (2000, 6000, 15000 hours), but this is more understandable to technical specialists, and it is convenient for consumers to count it in years, based on certain average conditions of use. Thus, LED lamps can last up to 15 years; luminescent - on average 5 years, but can be longer with proper use; halogen - much less.

Pay attention to service life

Flask shape

Do you want not just a light bulb, but a beautiful and original one - a ball, a candle? LED and halogen lamps provide the greatest scope for imagination. Gas-discharge and their household subtype - luminescent - come in the form of either tubes or spirals.

Standard screw bases

Energy-saving lamps with socket E40, E27 and E14 can be installed in sockets designed for a regular incandescent lamp. E27 is a standard household cartridge, has a 27 mm thread, E14 is a reduced cartridge, it has a 14 mm thread.

The screw bases of energy-saving lamps correspond to the bases of conventional incandescent lamps

Pin sockets

For home use, lamps with pin contacts are sometimes used; in their markings, the number following the letters indicates the distance between the pins in millimeters: GU4, GU5.3, GU10. Therefore, it is necessary to know exactly the cartridge markings.

Adjusting brightness using a dimmer

This is also a way to save energy: instead of a regular key switch, a dimmer is installed (or the lamp is initially equipped with one) - and you can increase and decrease the brightness of the light bulb, forcing it to work at full power only when necessary. What is easy for incandescent lamps (they can all be controlled by a dimmer) has become a problem for energy-saving lamps: among them, only halogen lamps can be dimmed without any special restrictions. Fluorescent and LED lamps with adjustable brightness are available, but they are less common and are more expensive; you should definitely look at the inscription “with a dimmer” or “without a dimmer” on the packaging).

Lamp with dimmer

Main or accent lighting lamps

Light can be scattered throughout the room or concentrated and narrowly directed: this type of lighting is called “spot” (“spot” - English) and is suitable for creating light accents in the interior or for reading.

Disposal

Many people are afraid to buy energy-saving lamps because they have heard that they cannot be disposed of with household waste, that is, simply thrown into the “trash” - because they contain mercury. In fact, its vapors are only found in fluorescent lamps, while LED and halogen lamps can be disposed of like regular incandescent lamps.

Fluorescent lamps

This type of gas discharge lamps is used in everyday life for residential premises. Gas-discharge is a slightly scary name, but it is these lamps, in the flasks of which there is an inert gas under pressure with an admixture of mercury vapor and other substances, that have come to be called energy-saving because of their minimal electricity consumption, long service life (5-20 times longer than incandescent lamps, 15–20 thousand hours) and a greater luminous flux than them (5–10 times). At the same time, such lamps require careful handling and proper disposal, therefore, when buying them, you must immediately be prepared for the fact that you cannot simply throw them in a bin.

Compact fluorescent lamp

Fluorescent lamps, which replace the usual “home” incandescent lamps, are called compact (CFL), because non-compact ones are those that are used in large rooms, they have infinitely long bulbs, and in CFLs the bulb shape is a twisted spiral.

In a CFL, electric discharges pass through an inert gas and mercury vapor, causing ultraviolet radiation, and from it a special powder begins to glow - a phosphor applied to the bulb from the inside, and it is this that simultaneously prevents the penetration of UV rays to the outside and glows with the light that we see and which is safe for our eyes. CFLs are sensitive to voltage fluctuations and frequent starts: they should not be constantly turned on and off if you leave the room for a short time.

Compact fluorescent lamps

Power and dimensions

CFLs have very little wattage compared to incandescent bulbs, but interestingly, the higher the wattage of a CFL, the larger it is. Incandescent lamps also have this dependence, but it is not so pronounced: the size will not interfere with using even a large incandescent lamp in a compact lampshade, but a large and powerful CFL may not fit. CFL power ranges from 5 to 55 W, but lamps up to 23 W are more common.

Energy-saving lamps include any lighting devices whose light output significantly exceeds the usual “Ilyich bulbs”. They have a higher efficiency, consuming 1 unit. luminous flux is almost 5 times less electricity (the lion's share of energy is spent on glow, while losses due to heat generation and other physical losses are minimized), and a longer service life.

Energy-saving lamps vary depending on the type of base, cost, principle of operation, emitted spectrum, as well as shape and dimensions.

Classification of energy-saving lamps

Energy-saving light bulbs, depending on the principle of operation, are divided into:

— fluorescent lamps: linear and compact types;

- LED bulbs.

Fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps were developed a long time ago, but they did not become widespread due to their specific shape. They were made in the form of tubes of different lengths, which required special lamps and also caused inconvenience during their installation or replacement. Compact fluorescent lamps can replace incandescent lamps and be used in standard lighting fixtures.

A fluorescent lamp consists of 3 elements:

- base;

— ballast;

— a luminescent flask, inside of which there are vapors of mercury and argon, and a phosphor is applied to the inner surface.

Electromagnetic radiation is generated by the ballast and electrons are released onto the surface of the spiral. When a glow discharge occurs, ultraviolet radiation is formed in mercury vapor. When passing through the phosphor on the surface of the lamp, this radiation is transformed into visible light.

(LED) lamps

In LED lamps, the light source is LEDs (semiconductor devices that emit light when connected to the network). The main advantage is low power consumption without compromising brightness and light output.

(xtypo_quote) In other words, a 6-W LED lamp will generate the same amount of light as a 60-W incandescent lamp, while using 8 times less power. The manufacturer provides a guaranteed service life of 30-50 thousand hours (20 years of trouble-free operation). (/xtypo_quote)

Their advantage is that they do not create heat during operation: there is no risk of fire, and you can also experiment by creating unique interior lighting. Such lamps do not contain toxic substances, so there is no danger if they are damaged. Moreover, the bases of LED lamps allow them to be mounted in any type of lamps. The glow of LED lamps does not put additional strain on the human eye organs.

Their main disadvantage is cost: they are 2 times more expensive than fluorescent ones. LED lamps are intended for household, industrial and street lighting. LED sources glow predominantly in one direction, making it possible to use them for directional lighting.

In addition to the above areas, LED lamps can be used to illuminate public places, museums, art galleries, corridors, warehouses, elevators, since there is no ultraviolet component in their light spectrum.

Varieties depending on the type of base

Depending on the type of base, compact fluorescent light bulbs are divided into several types:

1. E14 lamps with a 1.4 cm thread. Such devices are usually installed in small household sockets.

2. E27 lamps have a 2.7 cm thread and can be installed in regular size sockets.

3. E40 lamps with a fairly large base diameter due to the presence of a built-in electronic ballast. Lamps with such a base are usually used for lighting industrial areas and construction sites.

4. G23, 2G7, G53, 2D and other models of decorative lamps used in spotlights for illumination.

Sources with sockets E14, E27, E40 are intended for use in household appliances, instead of incandescent lamps. This type of lamps is characterized by significant dimensions, so replacement is not possible for all sizes of lamps.

The next important characteristic is the color of the glow. The human eye perceives different light sources differently. Based on this criterion, the following types of lamps are distinguished depending on the color of the glow:

- warm white;

- neutral white;

- cold white;

- daylight.

Energy-saving lamps differ depending on the size of the bulbs. They can have the following diameter:

Depending on the shape, I distinguish lamps:

— U-shaped;

- in the shape of a spiral.

The high efficiency, practicality and long service life of energy-saving lamps have made them quite popular and the most commonly used type for industrial and residential premises.

A very important aspect in increasing comfort in residential buildings and apartments is high-quality, and, most importantly, energy-saving lighting. At the same time, you need to know about energy saving parameters, the price category of products and their durability in order to decide which lamps are the best.

Essentially, they provide a gas-discharge light source. Such light bulbs are very popular not only in residential premises, but also in office buildings and industrial facilities.

The positive feature of these products is that their service life is 15 times longer than the usual incandescent lamps. In addition, they provide an even and stable flow of light. Since the lamps have a low level of heat generation and are quite compact in size, they can be used in lamps that have plastic parts that can be deformed under the influence of excess heat.

Economical fluorescent light bulbs are suitable for standard sockets, which eliminates the additional costs of replacing them and calling electricians. Despite the above, this home lamp has a number of disadvantages:

  • It contains mercury vapor. If the product is damaged, the room will be saturated with them in just a few hours.
  • High price. Imported models are several times more expensive than their Chinese and domestic counterparts. That's why many people order them online.
  • Special disposal method. The country lacks appropriate collection points that handle hazardous waste disposal.

In houses, apartments, cars and other life resources where economical and bright lighting is needed, an LED lamp is used. A positive quality of such a light bulb is the durability of the lighting, which ranges from one and a half to 10 years, it all depends on the model. It is also resistant to mechanical damage and can function normally at temperatures from -60 to +60°C. Available for any voltage, which eliminates the installation of additional resistors. The light bulb has a clean and uniform light, which is important in lighting design. Its price is quite high, about 300 rubles.

But by visiting qualified online stores, you can buy the product cheaper than in construction hypermarkets.

The familiar “Ilyich light bulbs” are very popular due to their affordability - up to 25 rubles apiece. What kind of objects are not illuminated by them! By the way, many people who have switched to other types of lighting still have them lying around at home “in reserve.”

The lamp works thanks to a tungsten filament - the filament body. It is this that is the source of light, since it heats up greatly (by several thousand degrees). However, the efficiency of the light bulb is very low - only 5%. The remaining 95% is spent on heating the room. In addition, the service life of such a lamp, at best, is about 1,000 hours. Therefore, its main advantage is considered to be its affordable price. Moreover, you can buy a light bulb even in the most ordinary grocery store. In other respects, it is much inferior to modern products.

General indicators and types of energy-saving lamps

For both home and industrial use, it is very important to have complete and economical lighting; for this reason, you should familiarize yourself with the parameters of the products in more detail.

According to the shape of the base, the light bulb can be:

  • For a miniature cartridge (marked E14).
  • For standard cartridge – E27.

One of the most important factors that influences the perception of space in a room is the source and color of light. A successful color scheme will make your home warmer, more spacious and comfortable than it actually is.

Lamps are:

  1. Warm white.
  2. Cold white.
  3. Neutral white color.
  4. Daylight.

They can be either U-shaped or spiral-shaped.

Where is the best place to buy energy-saving lamps?

Today, more and more Russians are choosing energy-saving lamps for their homes. But in order to buy them, you need to shell out a considerable amount of money, compared to the cost of an incandescent lamp. Many people go online to search for a product with a more reasonable price. One way or another, you need to take into account: energy-saving light bulbs, compared to the notorious “Ilyich lamps,” use 80% less energy with full and uniform light output, thereby reducing the load on the home electrical network and reducing the likelihood of short circuits, breakdowns, and power outages.

So, in order to buy an energy-saving light bulb for an apartment, house or other premises, you can go to a hardware store or visit an online market and buy the necessary product online. The latter option seems more convenient, since you do not need to go to different retail outlets in search of the desired model of an economical lamp. A wide range of products is presented on the pages of specialized Internet resources. Under each product, its characteristics, light color, base shape, etc. are described in detail.