Kinds of Lighting

Fluorescent Lighting

• Fluorescent lights consume 25 to 35 percent of the energy consumed by incandescent lights, and these kinds of lights last up to 10 times longer, producing between 7,000 and 24,000 hours of illumination. The light from a fluorescent lamp is created as an electric current runs through mercury and other inert gasses. These lamps require a ballast, which regulates the operating current and provides the lamp with a high start-up voltage. Fluorescent lamps provide the same amount of illumination as regular, incandescent bulbs with an efficacy between 30 and 110 lumens per watt.

High-Intensity Discharge Lighting

• High-intensity discharge lights have the longest service life of any lighting type, providing the highest efficacy and saving between 75 percent and 90 percent of energy when used as replacements for incandescent bulbs. Similar to the fluorescent bulbs, HID lamps require ballasts for start-up. Although they provide intense lighting through the use of an electric arc, the HID can take up to 10 minutes to produce light after being turned on. The intense light makes HID lamps optimal for outdoor use, however these kinds of lamps are not suitable for motion detectors.

Incandescent Lighting

• Incandescent lights are the most common type of lamps used and traditionally provide approximately 85 percent of household illumination. These lamps operate without the use of a ballast and can be dimmed. These lights are characteristically warm in tone and provide good color rendition. Although incandescent lights are less expensive to buy, they may be more expensive to operate due to the inefficiency and short life span of the typical bulb.

Light Emitting Diodes

• A light emitting diode, or LED, lamp converts electricity into light and uses 10 milliamps to operate at around one-tenth of a watt. Each diode is approximately 1/4 inch in diameter, but diodes can be grouped together to create more intensive lighting. LED lights are better at focusing light into a single direction than other types of light. Because of this, LED strip lights are commonly used in hallways, staircases, gardens and walkways. They can also be used in porch lights, reading lamps, flashlights and car headlights. These lamps can provide up to 50,000 hours of illumination and don't burn out like traditional lamps. Instead, LED lamps gradually decrease in light output.