Difference between LED and CFL Bulbs

Power Systems Utilisation of Electrical Power Utilization of Electrical Energy Electrical Engineering

LED Bulb

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. The LED bulb has a P-N junction diode which produces light when an electric current passes through it. In LED bulb, when forward bias is applied to the PN junction, the recombination of charge carriers takes place. The result of this recombination of charge carriers is the emission of light and heat.

CFL Bulb

CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Lamp. The CFL lamps emits light by the ionization of mercury vapors. In CFL, the ionized low pressure mercury vapors produce UV rays, these UV rays collide with the phosphor coating and hence visible light is produced by the lamp.

Differences between CFL and LED Bulbs

The following table highlights the differences between an LED bulb and a CFL bulb −

Parameter of Comparison	LED Bulbs	CFL Bulbs
Full-form	LED stands for Light Emitting Diode.	CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Lamp.
Type of lamp	LED is a solid state lamp.	CFL is a gas discharge lamp.
Production of light	It produces light by the recombination of charge carriers at a PN-junction.	CFL emits light by the ionization of mercury vapor.
Working principle	LED lamp has a PN junction which emits light when electric current passes through it in the forward direction.	In CFL, when the electric current is applied, the mercury vapors get ionized and produce UV rays, which collides with the phosphor coating to produce visible light.
Production of heat	LED lamps produce less amount of heat.	Emission of heat is more in case of CFLs.
Efficiency	LED bulbs are more efficient, i.e. maximum amount of input energy is converted into light.	CFL lamps are less efficient because a large portion of input energy is wasted in the form of heat.
Impact on human health & environment	LED lamps do not contain mercury, thus they do not harm the human health and environment.	CFLs contain mercury in the form of vapor inside the glass tube which affect the health of living beings.
Operating life	The LED bulbs have longer life span around 50,000 hours or more.	The life span of CFLs is around 10,000 hours.
Brightness	LED bulbs of same ratings produce more bright light.	For the same ratings, the CFLs produce light with less brightness.
Turn ON intensity	LED lamps quickly reach to their rated intensity.	CFLs require some delay after turning ON to reach the rated intensity because the mercury vapors take time to get ionized.
Requirement of choke or ballast	LED lamp does not require choke or ballast for its operation.	CFLs require choke. If it is not used, then CFL will draw a heavy current from the supply and may get damaged.
Effect of frequent switching ON & OFF	In LED lamps, the frequent switching ON and OFF of the lamp having no effect on their life span.	The frequent switching ON and OFF reduces the life span of the CFLs, because continuous switching ON and OFF reduces the ionization property of the mercury vapors.
Destruction & Disposal	The destruction and disposal of LED lamps be easy as it is free from toxic metals like mercury	The destruction and disposal of CFL lamps is difficult because they contain toxic mercury vapors, which can harm the human health and environment.
Power Consumption	LED lamps consume less power.	CFL lamps consume more power because it involves the ionization of mercury vapors which requires more power.
Recycling	The LED lamps are made of semiconductor materials which can be easily recycled by the process of doping.	CFL lamps cannot be recycled.
Operating Cost	The operating cost of LED lamps is very less as it saves up to 80% of the electricity bill.	The operating cost of a CFL lamp is more than that of a LED lamp of same ratings.

Manish Kumar Saini

Updated on: 04-Apr-2022

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