Light Bulbs

Purchasing light bulbs should be simple, right? With so many different types and variations out there it can get complicated quickly. In order to figure out which kind of light bulb is best for a certain area in your house, think about what each area is used for. A kitchen will need much better lighting than a dining room, while you’ll probably want a dimmer and several sources of light in your living room. Read on to learn main types of light bulbs.

Incandescent

This is the most commonly used light bulb, and what most people are used to installing in the lighting throughout the home. These bulbs light up using electricity that heats a wire filament in the bulb. In most incandescent bulbs, the filament is in a vacuum, or a mixture of argon and nitrogen. While they can be used with most household appliances and lighting, they also tend to use the most electricity, since they produce quite a bit of heat.

Halogen

Halogen bulbs work in a slightly different way. The bulb is light by a filament that is enclosed in a tube containing halogen gas. The glow of this light is much brighter and whiter than the glow of an incandescent bulb. While halogen bulbs tend to get much hotter than other bulbs, they also last much longer. However, if you use halogen bulbs in your home, be careful not to put them near any material that’s extremely flammable, since they emit so much heat.

Fluorescent

These bulbs light up without a filament, and instead are lit through a gas filled tube that produces ultraviolet radiation. Fluorescent tubes have an extremely long bulb light, but also are known for their poor light quality and inability to work well in cold environments. Usually these bulbs are used for large areas that need a lot of lighting.

LED

LED lights are the newest types of modern light bulbs. They’re much more efficient than incandescent light bulbs, have a very long life, and an extremely white light. They’re also much more expensive than any other type of bulb.

When buying light bulbs, it's also important to think about the overall cost. This doesn’t just mean how much an individual light bulb costs, it also includes the overall cost of electricity. If a cheap light bulb ends up adding tons of money to your electric bill over its lifetime, the inexpensive price tag won’t be worth it.