The following are the different types of light bulbs that are used in buildings.
1. Incandescent bulbs.
 |
| Incandescent bulb. |
They contain wire filaments that get heated up by resisting the flow of current and glow to emit light. The glass bulb is filled with an inert gas that prevents the filament's oxidation and lessens heat transfer to the outer glass cover.
They glow with a golden yellow color similar to the sunlight, making you feel more natural. The efficiency of these types of bulbs is very less, consuming more power, as much of the energy is converted into heat.
2. CFL bulbs.
 |
| CFL bulb. |
Compact fluorescent light (CFL ) bulbs are three to five times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, as much of the energy is consumed to emit the light. They contain mercury vapor, which emits ultraviolet rays when charged, which is then converted into visible light when those rays hit the fluorescent coatings over the glass tubes.
The initial cost of this bulb is much higher in comparison to the incandescent bulbs, which get recovered in the electric bill over a period of time.
3. Fluorescent tubes.
 |
| Tube light. |
They are the earlier version of the CFL bulbs with the same working principle as that of the CFL bulb. They contain a starter and ballast over the outer body of the tube, which holds the tube on both ends with the holder socket.
4. LED bulbs.
 |
| LED bulbs. |
They emit light through the light-emitting diode (LED) chips. On average, they use only up to 10 % of the electric power to emit the same amount of light in comparison to incandescent bulbs. The circuit contains rectifiers and capacitors to provide DC voltage to the diodes.
These lamps are the future of the light industry, as they are energy savers, and in India, the government is providing these lamps at subsidized rates to save electric power.
Some of the top brands that provide LED bulbs in India that are worth paying money for are Philips, Syska, Havells, Eveready, Wipro, & Halonix
5. Halogen bulbs.
 |
| Halogen bulb. |
They are the improved version of the incandescent bulbs where bromine and iodine are used with a mixture of inert gas. These elements redeposit the evaporated tungsten over the filaments thus increasing its lifespan.
Since they operate in the higher temperature range, the light emitted will be very bright and focused.
To go through the articles related to the different types (classifications) of construction materials, click here.
