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Light Bulbs
Light Bulb Packaging Information
Here’s what you need to know before shopping for light bulbs. Find out about watts, lumens, color temperature, and other packaging information.
Light bulb color temperature is measured on the Kelvin scale (K). The higher the color temperature, the whiter the color. You may choose a variety of color temperatures when buying fluorescent lights, LEDs, and automobile headlights.
Today’s incandescent bulb is about the same as the one Thomas Edison developed and demonstrated in 1879. They work very well with dimmers, electronic timers, and photocells. Incandescent bulbs have a very good dimming range and dimming will extend the life of a bulb and save energy.
Fluorescent lights are a great lighting option based on low energy usage, cost, availability, and variety of color temperatures. They are available as compact fluorescent (CFL), and tube shaped.
Halogen light bulbs are very similar to incandescent bulbs with a higher operating temperature and slightly more energy efficient. They use 10-
Compact Fluorescent Light (CFLs)
Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are very popular for saving energy, usually about 75% savings over incandescent bulbs. They are available in a variety of color temperatures and some CFLs are dimmable.
Fluorescent tubes are a great lighting option based on cost, availability, and variety of color temperatures. These lights are sometimes found in kitchens and garages around the home. Fluorescent tubes are very common throughout office buildings.
LEDs are a good choice for people who really want to save energy and don’t mind paying the extra cost. These are becoming more popular with high prices coming down, and light quality going up.
Automobile headlights become dim over time, so they should be replaced every few years. They are available in a wide range of color temperatures. Whitish blue headlights are very popular.
One way to get into the holiday spirit is to install Christmas lights, figures, displays, and scenes. You can install them yourself or hire a service to put them up and also take them down when the season is over.
Low Voltage Lighting The best way to purchase multiple low voltage lights is by buying a kit. The kit includes the lights, cables, and transformer.
Bulb vs Lamp
Electricians usually refer to a light bulb as a lamp. Light bulb manufacturers use the term “lamp” when referring to fluorescent lights. On this site, we will refer to fluorescent lights as lamps.
How to Remove a Broken Light Bulb
Before removing a broken bulb from a socket, power to the bulb needs to be turned off. You can use needle-
Light Bulbs