Types of Energy-Saving Light Bulbs

Compact Fluorescent Lamps

• Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, are the most common type of energy-saving light bulb used to replace standard light bulbs. CFLs produce light by using electricity to excite a gas inside a tube-shaped bulb which in turn causes a coating on the bulb to glow and emit light. Producing light in this manner generates far less heat than that generated by a standard light bulb, meaning less energy is wasted. CFLs typically cost more than standard light bulbs, but they can also last much longer because the heating and cooling of standard light bulbs erodes their tungsten filaments, eventually causing them to burn out. One of the drawbacks of CFLs is that the gas contained in the bulbs may contain traces of mercury.

LED Bulbs

• Light emitting diode bulbs, or LEDs, are a type of small light bulb traditionally used in electronics and Christmas lights. LED technology can be used to produce light bulbs that function similarly to standard bulbs by grouping several small LEDs into a single, larger bulb. Similar to CFLs, LED bulbs can be expensive, but have longer lives than standard bulbs and use electricity much more efficiently, producing very little heat.

Halogen Bulbs

• Halogen bulbs produce light using a tungsten filament similar to a normal bulb, but the filament is surrounded with a gas that allows it to last longer. According to the California Energy Commission, halogen lamps were once considered the lighting of the future as they use up to 20 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, but they are much less energy efficient than CFLs and burn hotter than other types of bulbs.