How To Buy Light Bulbs

     Buying light bulbs isn’t nearly as easy as it used to be. Not only do light bulbs come in every shape and size these days, the kind of bulb you purchase can make a huge difference in how much you pay each month for utilities. Following is a summary of the four main types of light bulbs, their primary uses and where they rank in terms of energy efficiency.

Incandescent — The most common type of bulb sold, incandescents are the least expensive bulb choice and they come in a wide variety of shapes, wattage and voltage. An incandescent bulb consists of a tungsten filament, that when charged with an electric current, gets hot and glows. Incandescent bulbs can be found with protective coatings and they are excellent for use with dimmers.

Halogen — Halogen bulbs are known for producing bright, clean and crisp white light that is most similar to daylight. A halogen lamp uses halogen gas that allows the lamp to glow more brightly. While an incandescent light bulb produces an average of 10-13 lumens per watt, a halogen bulb produces 14-20 lumens per watt. Halogen bulbs produce 50 percent more light for the same energy consumption, compared to an incandescent bulb.

Compact Fluorescent — These bulbs are known for their long life and energy efficiency, while providing excellent soft white color. The bulbs are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. On average, compact fluorescent bulbs last eight years, or about 12,000 hours. In that same time frame you would have to use approximately six soft white incandescent bulbs. A compact fluorescent bulb uses 75 percent less energy compared to an incandescent bulb.

Fluorescent — Fluorescent bulbs produce a soft, diffused light and come in many shades of white, from warm to cool. Fluorescents are a good choice for general lighting and they last 18 times longer than a typical incandescent bulb (about 20,000 hours). A fluorescent bulb consists of a glass tube with two electrodes. A fluorescent bulb uses 80 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb.

 

“The kind of bulb you purchase can make a huge difference in how much you pay each month for electricity”

 
Incandescent: A-Line, Reflector, Globe, Candle, Bullet, Flame and Parbolic Alluminised Reflector (PAR)

Halogen: A-Line, Mini Candle, PAR, Double Ended Quartz (DEQ), MR-16, Single Ended Quartz (SEQ)

CFL: CFL-2D, Circlite, Triple Biax, Incandescent Shape, Spiral, Post Light, Dimming 3-Way

Fluorescent: Shoplite, Universal Residential, Kitchen & Bath, Saf-T-Gard, Bright Stik