When you visit a store to get light bulbs for your house or office, you cannot just go to the bulb and lamps section to pick one off the rack and exit the store. It is not that easy anymore. Why? There are varieties of bulbs to choose from now, more than ever. You are also obliged to consider the wattage, lumen, durability, location where you want to use the light bulb, brightness, efficiency, and budget before deciding on the perfect bulb.
Also, when you want to choose your light, you need to be particular about the kind of projection you would be using. Are you trying to achieve an ambient or accent mood, create a natural atmosphere with the light, beautify your surroundings with its aesthetic or task lighting, or shoot for a spotlight effect? These are some of the decisions you need to make, but here is a highlight of the different types of lights to choose from for indoor, outdoor, and commercial purposes.
Incandescent Bulb
This light source had maintained its originality right from when Thomas Edison and Joseph Swan invented it. Incandescent bulbs produce light when tungsten (mainly a wire) is heated enough to make it hot by the electric current passing through it and makes it glow brightly.
These bulbs are constantly generating heat when used indoors. Asides from that, it is so hot that you cannot touch it and could burst when the electric current is too high for it, shattering sharp glass fragments around the house. Incandescent bulbs are inefficient and do not last long.
Incandescent bulbs have been around for a long time as the only lighting source for centuries until we discovered other bulbs. In most cases, incandescent bulbs are perfect for ballrooms or vast parlors with enough space to absorb the heat coming from the bulb inserted in the chandelier.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) Bulbs
The invention of LED light won the Nobel Prize, but that is beside the point. These bulbs use less energy and attract only slight heat. LED light produces light through the swift movement of electrons in a semiconductor device and emits light in a specific direction.
Though quite expensive, LEDs have become the most excellent option for indoor light sources and also available with color filters. When debates on LED vs. CFL for indoor fittings come up, the former usually supersedes as it is brighter, generates slight heat, and uses lesser wattage. Also, LED lights are being used for outdoor lighting due to the fact it is energy-saving.
LEDs are now the go-to light source for indoor and outdoor lighting as it comes in various designs and tubes that can flood your home with an accent, ambient, or natural lighting, depending on how you choose to fix it.
Fluorescent Light Bulbs
A fluorescent light bulb is powered by one-quarter of the wattage used by an incandescent bulb, and quite efficient. This bulb is coated with mercury vapors, emitting UV rays whenever electricity current is supplied.
The standard fluorescent bulbs are compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, floodlight lamps, fluorescent tube lamps, and reflector bulbs. These bulbs are energy-saving, efficient, last longer, and preferable for indoor light fittings. CFL is the most popular of all fluorescent lamps and is usually used to create an ambient atmosphere within a room.
Halogen Bulbs
Whenever you think about outdoor light sources, remember halogen bulbs. It emits light using halogen gas in the bulb and burns at a temperature higher than incandescent bulbs.
Halogen bulbs are more energy-efficient and last longer. It is also used for indoor lighting in pendant lights for the kitchen, recessed light for big rooms, and under-cabinet lighting because it gives a particular position you choose to use it an ambient tone.
Metal Halide
The metal halide lamps are powered by a composition of gas fillings and other light-generating components. Metal halide bulbs produce an incredible amount of light and are very efficient, but you cannot remove the high-definition color rendition. These bulbs are mainly used for traffic lights, stage lights, backyard lights, and other commercial purposes.
The remaining types of light are for outdoor purposes – the High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs, the Low-Pressure Sodium (LPS) bulbs, LED lamps, Phosphor-Converted Amber (PCA) LED lamps, and Narrow Band Amber (NBA) LED lamps.
r, the different lights detailed above can serve multiple purposes and help you enhance the beauty of your home, office, or surrounding, depending on how you choose to use it.
