Efficient lighting
Lighting is an important feature that is required in our day to day lives. Various forms of lighting have been used from the olden times. Man has been using lamps and lanterns from a long time. The most effective forms of lamps used were kerosene lamps. These lamps were very popular as they produced enough light to read and light up a small work area. Also they were easy to construct and use.
But these lamps used a lot of oil and hence were not very cost efficient. So the search for more efficient lighting gave way to gaslights. These gaslights were technological break through and were used extensively for number of years. These light featured quick illumination that was much more efficient and better illuminated than conventional gas lamps. These gaslights are still used when there is no electricity, as they remain still to be mark of efficient lighting when there is no electricity as they are most cost effective and give proper light as compared to other light sources. Mostly these gaslights use propane or gasoline. Then with the advent of electricity more advanced and efficient lighting system came into being that was far more efficient and provided better illumination. That invention was of electric bulb. These electric bulbs gave light when current was passed through them. It was a major break through in the technology that was looking forward for efficient lighting systems. The requirements of further efficient lighting are still on the rise with new and more efficient systems coming into picture.
The light efficiency is rated in lumens per watt. This gives us the indication that how much total light is produced. But it should be remembered that is not the amount of usable light that is available to us. One should always understand that some lights may save energy if used in the correct application. In case of work areas that require lower light intensity and the areas which are smaller in size such as lighting required in pathways, flash lighting, exit signs and in reading lights, LED lights are much more efficient as compared to small incandescent lamp.
There are number of efficient lighting methods available to save energy and give you efficient lighting. One such efficient lighting method is LED lighting. LED lighting are very efficient and useful in certain applications. LED lighting can replace the small incandescent lamps excellently. LED lightings can save energy when used in applications like night lights, flash lights, pathway lighting etc. LED lights when used for lighting smaller places have proved to be three fold efficient as compared to incandescent lamps. Although LED lamps are not much efficient in lighting large areas. They are almost same as incandescent lamps. The LED lights run tens of thousands of hours if used on the recommended levels of current. For efficient lighting through LEDs for the purpose of reading etc. you can club five to eight white LEDs.
Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are another efficient lightening system. These lightening systems have ten fold life as compared to incandescent bulbs. The quality of light produced by the compact fluorescent lights is warmer than the normal fluorescents. Compact fluorescent lightening can be utilized in normal fixtures available for lightening and can be used in various applications. These lights normally do not flicker. Both AC and DC versions of these lights are available. Normally the DC models are costlier. Researches are being carried out to manufacture inter changeable compact fluorescent lightening that can be utilized both AC and DC. The only drawback of compact fluorescent is that the quality of light is not comparable to the halogens lights or the incandescent bulbs. Also the light produced is not very bright at cold temperatures. Although the compact fluorescent lights are more expensive initially but in the long run they prove to be quite cheap. An eighteen watt compact fluorescent light used as a substitute of seventy five watt incandescent bulb can save a large amount of electricity up to a figure of 570 kilo watt hour in its total life span. The compact fluorescent lighting is also beneficial in avoiding pollution. About half a ton of carbon dioxide can be avoided from going into the atmosphere by replacing a single incandescent bulb. Latest models of compact fluorescent lights give warm light instead of cool white lights given by the older models of the lights.
Quartz halogen lights are considered to be quite efficient lightening system. These bulbs are although just about fifteen percent more efficient than the incandescent bulbs, but they are usable at twelve volts. They can be easily utilized without inverters in case of no power. The AC versions are also available for quartz halogen light. They offer good lighting for reading and also in the outdoor conditions. The light of quartz halogen lights is three fold as compared to a standard incandescent bulb.
Another efficient method of lighting a large area is standard AC fluorescent lights. These lights although efficient but the quality of light produced by standard AC fluorescent lights is blue, which can irritate some people. Also the problem of flickering is quite common. But these lights serve quite efficient in areas such as garages, storerooms, shops, counter top lights in the kitchen, etc.
The efficient lighting principle is a well established field in engineering also. The work place design and lighting are given equal importance. These form an important aspect of ergonomic design of work place. The lighting is called effective when the user or the person is not strained. The efficient lighting should be able to support the person and not cause unnecessary fatigue on the eye and brain. Also efficient lighting is required for the proper accomplishment of the work. The places that require concentration and interaction of person with his surrounding should be well illuminated and places where the interaction with the surroundings is not of much importance can be less illuminated. So to save money the type of illumination required should be studied well and accordingly the light source should be chosen. It is waste of energy and money to illuminate a place that does not require much illumination.
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