Understanding Low Energy Lighting
Low Energy lighting is becoming ever more popular
. Current UK Building Regulations demand that approximately 30% of lighting in new developments is now dedicated low energy, and in existing housing stock the use of high wattage standard incandescent lamps is being phased out. But, amidst mounting pressure from the government to move from standard light bulbs to energy saving alternatives, very few householders seem to understand how low energy lighting differs from conventional lighting systems? The key to understanding the difference lies in knowing how conventional light bulbs work.The correct term for the type of conventional light bulb that we all recognise is a tungsten, or incandescent bulb. They use a tiny filament made of tungsten, which when heated gives off a bright light. However, the problem with these bulbs is that they are not energy efficient, as a lot of energy is required to heat the filament to the level required to give off the light. Tungsten bulbs come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, with a number of different caps. The standard life of a tungsten lamp is around one thousand hours. The most common wattage is 60 Watts.
Another existing style of bulb is the halogen. Halogen lamps have very small filaments filled with halogen gas. They run at extremely high temperatures. They are most suited to small, bright or decorative fittings. Halogen lamps are generally slightly more efficient than tungsten bulbs, and the standard life of a halogen bulb is around twice as long at an average of two thousand hours. Halogen bulbs can be spit into two types - those that run off of 240v mains voltage, and low (12v) voltage. The term low voltage should not be confused with low energy. Low voltage lamps require a transformer to reduce the voltage. Halogen lamps do get very hot and they should never be handled until they have cooled fully.
Low energy lamps are also known as fluorescent lamps. The fluorescent lamp is actually a low-pressure gas discharge which is held in a cylindrical shaped tube. This tube is covered with a phosphor coating. As the gas discharges, it produces ultra-violet radiation that is converted into visible light by the phosphor coating. Early fluorescent lamps suffered from a flickering effect and indeed a buzzing noise that was produced, but advances in technology have all but eliminated these problems by using high-frequency electronic ballasts. Low energy lamps can last up to 8000 hours, and offer major savings in energy consumption.
Broadly speaking, one Watt of a low energy lamp is equivalent to 5 Watts in a standard tungsten incandescent. Therefore a low energy lamp rated at 15W is equivalent to a 75W traditional bulb. Early low energy fittings had a reputation for taking some time to reach their full brightness from switching on, but this lag has now been reduced to a couple of seconds. One drawback with low energy fittings that remains however is that very few lamps work with dimmer switches.
Another factor that should be considered is that any broken low energy lamps should be double wrapped in plastic bags and carefully disposed of, as they do contain very small amounts of mercury (which is not at all dangerous when contained within the bulb). The bulbs should be disposed of responsibly and can either be collected in a normal household waste bin or can be recycled at the local council's Household Waste and Recycling Centre or at collection points provided by some light bulb retailers.
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