How not to spoil your health in the pursuit of energy savings

The literature is constantly present topic of saving electricity and extending the life of incandescent lamps. In most articles, a very simple method is proposed - switching a semiconductor diode in series with the lamp.

This topic has repeatedly appeared in the magazines "Radio", "Radio amateur", she did not bypass "Radioamator" "[1-4]. They offer a wide variety of solutions: from the simple inclusion of a diode in series with a cartridge [2], the difficult manufacture of a "tablet" [1] and the "prescribing an aspirin bulb" [3] to the manufacture of an adapter cap [4]. Moreover, on the pages " "Radioamator" "flares up a quiet debate about whose" pill "is better and how to" swallow "it.

The authors took good care of the "health" and "durability" of the incandescent lamp and completely forgot about their health and the health of their family. "What's the matter?" - you ask. Just in those blinks that suggest masking with the help of a “milky” lampshade [3]. Perhaps there will be an illusion of a decrease in blinks, but this will not reduce them, and their negative impact will not decrease.

So, we can choose which is more important: the health of the light bulb or ours? Is natural light better than artificial? Of course! Why? There can be many answers. And one of them - artificial lighting, for example, incandescent lamps, blinks at a frequency of 100 Hz. Pay attention not to 50 Hz, as it is sometimes mistakenly believed, referring to the frequency of the electrical network. Due to the inertia of our vision, we do not notice flashes, but this does not mean at all that we do not perceive them. They affect the organs of vision and, of course, the human nervous system. We get tired faster.

In truth, cinema and television have long enjoyed the inertia of vision. Recently, computer equipment has joined them. Of course, all this has a negative effect on vision, but if in moderation, then serious undesirable consequences can be avoided.

Let's think: why aggravate the situation by simply turning on the diode? Indeed, at the same time, the flashing frequency decreases by half and it turns out 50 Hz. And, as you know, the lower it is, the more harmful. The healthier the bulb, the worse for us.

There are fairly well-known standards developed in Sweden by the union of employees: MPR-2, TCO-95, TCO-99. They are introduced to maximize the safety of people involved in electronic data processing. Most manufacturers recognize them as an unspoken international standard. Among many items there is a minimum frame rate for monitors, which according to TCO-99 is 85 Hz [5]. So, there is an ergonomic minimum that you must adhere to, and if the frame rate of the monitor is, for example, 120 Hz, it is much better for the eyes of a computer.

Now once again, remember about the diode and about the "advantages" of the "eternal" light bulb. They give us a flicker rate of 50 Hz, which is much less than any minimum. And if the monitor or TV flickers on a limited area (meaning the screen), then the lamp - on the whole room. The television, from this point of view, is also not a “gift” with its interlacing and a half-frame frequency of 50 Hz. But watching shows usually takes a limited time. In any case, it should be so.

The lamp can be turned on through the diode, but only occasionally, for a very short time. And to illuminate an apartment or a hall, albeit with "compensation" [2], which resembles interlaced scanning, it is impossible to apply: negative results can manifest themselves quite quickly.Since each organism individually responds to adverse effects, various disorders can occur, for example, headache or irritability, eye pain, discomfort, and visual impairment. Let's better save on glasses - they are much more expensive than lamps.

In the article [6] it is proposed to supply incandescent lamps with direct current, in order to avoid blinking. Perhaps it is better to try this way? At the same time, you can adjust the power, smooth switching, reducing the inrush of current through the cold filament of the lamp and prolonging its life. Of course, you have to complicate the device, one diode is clearly not enough, but, I believe, our eyesight is worth it.

In conclusion, I want to suggest: if you do not improve, then at least not worsen the conditions of work and rest, because we spend quite a lot of time under artificial lighting, especially on long winter evenings.