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Energy-saving lights such as “Compact Fluorescent Lamps” (CFL) are now available. In fact, many jurisdictions have already banned the use of legacy light bulbs (ILBs), with others coming soon. Is it good or bad?
History Thomas Edison in 1879 perfected an earlier invention of the incandescent bulb with a graphite-based filament. In 1910, William David Coolidge (1873-1975) invented the tungsten-based filament, which was and continues to be used extensively around the world. However, in the past few years, compact fluorescent lamps have been increasingly promoted by many “green” advocates and politicians. Some jurisdictions have already mandated their use and bulb replacement. These compact fluorescent lamps are designed to reduce electricity consumption in your household and be environmentally friendly.
The power of light Let’s look at the ILB first. They convert about 5% of the energy they use (electricity) into light, and the remaining 95% is simply converted into heat. In contrast, compact fluorescent lamps emit about 50% of the energy used as light. Therefore, in terms of luminous flux per unit of energy consumed, CFLs are indeed much better than ILB lamps. So what could be the problem with compact fluorescent lamps?
Fine print Many people know little about the “fine print” that accompanies compact fluorescent lamps. Few people notice it at all, especially since it is printed on the inside of some packages. However, if you read it, you will find two statements that may make you rethink your decision to “green” and save on electricity:
(i) compact fluorescent lamps should only be used in luminaires that face upwards. Often this would mean replacing multiple lighting fixtures. Other requirements are that they cannot be used with dimmers, light sensors, electric programmers, and for outdoor use they require special weather protection devices.
(ii) compact fluorescent lamps contain elemental mercury. When it ruptures, mercury is released, mainly as mercury vapor, into the surrounding air. Some of them can become tiny droplets falling to the floor and embedded in carpets, cracks and the like. As liquid mercury slowly evaporates at room temperature, this elemental mercury constantly produces mercury vapor.
Other costs The primary concern of regulators is solely the energy used for luminous flux. However, electricity is not the only cost incurred by the user of compact fluorescent lamps. First, compact fluorescent lamps are much more expensive to buy than ILB. To make them appear cost-competitive, several “green energy” jurisdictions subsidize their purchase with taxpayers’ money, in other words, your money. Second, the luminous flux of compact fluorescent lamps decreases over time. Third, compact fluorescent lamps take about a minute to reach maximum light output. Compact fluorescent lamps also fail faster with (relatively) frequent on / off. Most importantly, they also have potential health and cleaning costs as described below.
Health effects and cleaning Compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury. It is well known that prolonged exposure to mercury vapor causes serious effects on humans such as tremors etc. So the question is: how safe are compact fluorescent lamps? Until they burst or burn suddenly due to the failure of the built-in ballasts, there should be no health problems with their use. However, once broken down, mercury is likely to be released into the surrounding area with potential long-term hazards. Therefore, these things are to be stored in the so-called hazardous materials landfills, where most of it is crushed and from there mercury is released. Fortunately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides detailed instructions on how to clean up mercury spills from damaged CFLs. This is available on the EPA website [1].
In summary In summary, in many situations the advantages of compact fluorescent lamps are small and their actual and potential disadvantages serious. But remember, it’s for the sake of the environment – at least that’s what the EPA thinks.
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Source by Klaus Kaiser