There are five types of light bulbs that you’ll find in your average store — LED, CFL/hybrid, halogen, and incandescent.
Light bulbs are the electronic devices we use to light the way — literally. There are many options on the market, and they each come with their own set of benefits and functions, for both residential and commercial lighting. Check out what you should know about light bulbs.
Types of Bulbs
There are five types of light bulbs that you’ll find in your average store — LED, CFL/hybrid, halogen, and incandescent. LED bulbs, short for light-emitting diodes, have a reputation for being very high in cost, efficiency, and lifespan when compared to the other types. CFL, or compact fluorescent light bulbs, and hybrids are known for their high cost, efficiency, and lifespan. You’ll find halogen bulbs at medium-level cost with a medium level of efficiency and lifespan. Rounding out the list, incandescent bulbs have the lowest cost and the low efficiency and lifespan.
Color Temperature
The color temperatures associated with light bulbs are based on a scale that gives lower numbers or warm light and higher numbers to cool light. Warm-colored bulbs give off an orange hue while cooler bulbs appear to give off a white or blue-ish color.
Wattage
The wattage from bulbs refers to the amount of power that the bulb consumes, which is then converted into not only light but heat as well. One of the big differences between high efficiency and lower efficiency bulbs is that high efficiency bulbs tend to stay cooler. They use less energy to produce heat and more for actual light. Bulbs closer to the inefficient end of the spectrum produce a lot of heat. Because there are many more high-efficiency options, bulb power is not measured by equivalent wattage.
Shapes
Bulbs come in hundreds of shapes and sizes, for various uses in many applications. Those used mainly in household applications are spiral, A-shaped, and reflector. Spiral bulbs are omnidirectional with the ability to emit light in all directions. A-shaped bulbs are the most typical shape for incandescent bulbs and also provide light in an omnidirectional way. Reflector bulbs are directional to give light in one specific direction at a time.
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