Advantages and disadvantages of tungsten filament lamps

Energy-saving lamps, also known as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), operate using two tungsten filaments. When heated, these filaments emit electrons. A high voltage is then applied across the lamp, creating an electric field that accelerates the electrons into a flow inside the glass tube. The tube is evacuated and filled with mercury vapor. As the fast-moving electrons collide with mercury atoms, they excite the atoms to a higher energy state. These excited atoms eventually return to their ground state, releasing ultraviolet (UV) light in the process. However, UV light alone is not visible to the human eye, so it is converted into visible light by a phosphor coating on the inside of the tube.

There are different types of energy-saving lamps, including standard ones and tri-phosphor models that are becoming more popular. Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, they consume less electricity and last longer. However, standard CFLs have lower color rendering, making colors appear less natural. Tri-phosphor lamps, on the other hand, offer better color accuracy, resembling natural sunlight, and provide improved light efficiency and color rendering.

Despite their benefits, energy-saving lamps contain small amounts of mercury, a toxic substance. Mercury has a low boiling point, so even a broken lamp can release harmful vapors into the air. In just a few seconds, the concentration of mercury vapor could reach up to 10–20 mg per cubic meter, far exceeding the safe limit of 0.01 mg per cubic meter. Once inside the body, mercury is difficult to eliminate and can cause serious health issues.

Some key disadvantages of energy-saving lamps include:

  1. Mercury pollution occurs during both production and disposal. Many Western countries have strict regulations to control this type of environmental contamination.
  2. Being made of glass, they are fragile and prone to breaking, which makes them challenging to transport and install safely.
  3. Although more efficient than incandescent bulbs, their power consumption is still relatively high compared to newer technologies like LEDs.
  4. They are sensitive to frequent switching and have a shorter lifespan than expected, leading to the saying, "Energy saving doesn’t save money."

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