The Low-down on Light bulbs

There are a lot of light bulb options out there, and it can be hard to keep them all straight.  However, it’s important to know which are the best and most energy-efficient choices for your home. Here’s the lowdown on four common light bulbs — and one not so common.
 
Incandescent: the usual bulb
 
This is the bulb invented by Thomas Edison, which lasts about 1,000 hours.  It only gives off 10% of its energy as light — the rest is given off as heat — which makes it inefficient and a fire hazard.  But incandescents are cheap, emit warm, pleasing light, and are compatible with dimmer switches.
 
Halogen: a step up
 
Halogen lightbulbs last three times as long as incandescents — up to 3,500 hours.  They emit a bright light which does not fade with age as incandescents do. Standard halogen lights are more energy-efficient than Edison’s model, as well. 
 
Fluorescents: Not just for the garage anymore

Fluorescents used to be noisy, flickering, and headache-inducing. But the technology has improved a great deal.  Nowadays they come in many colours, and the light quality is just as warm and inviting as an incandescent. Best of all, technological improvements have eliminated that annoying buzz.  Fluorescents last over 10,000 hours.  The bulbs are more expensive than incandescents, but the energy savings and the long lifespan of the bulb make up for it. 
 
Compact Fluorescents: the best of both worlds
 
Fluorescent tubes are long and often don’t fit into the same fixtures incandescents use. Compact fluorescents solve that problem. These are fluorescent bulbs in which the tube of gas is bent into a more compact shape, so these bulbs will fit anywhere an incandescent does. Because they’re so versatile, they can be found in most fluorescent light fixtures sold for the home, including fluorescent downlights, spotlights, table lamps, and more. 
 
LED Lights: the illumination of the future
 
LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode.  These are tiny light bulbs affixed to an electrical circuit.  They are found in digital clocks, remote controls, and other electronic lighting technologies, and they are making some inroads into home lighting, as well. Their advantage is that they are extremely long-lasting up to 100,000 hours — and they are also energy-efficient.
 
However, the technology is still young. The more diodes attached to a small space, the more energy and heat they waste—which means it’s hard to find an LED lamp with enough diodes to furnish the brightness needed for a living room lamp or a chandelier. However, as the technology improves, LED lights have the potential to present a formidable challenge to fluorescents as the most energy-efficient, long-lasting option.