What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Fluorescent Lighting?

Fluorescent lamps have many benefits, including a long life span, and they require less labor and maintenance. They can also be used in hard-to-reach areas. However, there are some disadvantages to fluorescent lighting. First of all, fluorescent lamps contain a small amount of mercury, which is turned into vapor upon turning on. This causes health concerns for those who are sensitive to light.

Fluorescent lamps’ performance depends on the temperature of the parts of the tube that produce light. A T8 tube’s coldest area is the center, while a T5 tube’s coldest part is the end stamped with text. The ideal temperature is 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. Another advantage of fluorescents is that the light produced by these lamps is more diffuse and doesn’t create glare. In addition, fluorescent lamps are larger and have greater light output relative to the distance between them and the surface to be illuminated.

Fluorescent lamps also save energy. They produce less heat than traditional lighting options, and they can be as much as 75% more energy-efficient than incandescent bulbs. In addition to saving energy, fluorescent lamps also help keep a room cooler. Compared to incandescent bulbs, fluorescent bulbs generate only 22 percent of their energy as visible light.

Fluorescent lamps do produce a frequency of flicker, a flicker that is more pronounced in peripheral vision than in the center. This phenomenon is caused by an instability of the negative resistance of the arc discharge. Other factors that affect flickering include a defective lamp, a bad ballast, or poor connection.

Fluorescent lamps have some disadvantages, however. Some have a high operating temperature. This means that they cannot be used in colder climates. However, there are ways to prevent flickering with fluorescent lamps. Many manufacturers are able to minimize flickering with the use of better ballasts and other technologies.

Fluorescent lighting started in the 1920s. The inventor of fluorescent lamps, Edmund Germer, succeeded in converting energy from ultraviolet light into a white light that human eyes can perceive. This process required a special coating on the inside of the bulb. Then, Germer developed a new type of fluorescent lamp that increased vapor pressure inside the bulb.

Fluorescent lamps require ballasts to run. These ballasts control the frequency of current and voltage and stabilize the current in the fluorescent lamp. They also help provide the initial striking voltage. Magnetic ballasts can create audible noise, so they are best avoided when possible. High-frequency electronic ballasts are more efficient than magnetic ballasts.

Compared to incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps are more durable and require less maintenance. They can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Additionally, they use much less energy.