Incandescent and Halogen

Incandescent light is the most commonly used electric light source in the home, meaning that people consider it to be “normal.” The low color temperature and high color rendering index (CRI) of incandescent lighting casts a warm light, providing excellent color rendition of human skin tones. Advantages of incandescent lamps include their affordability, their ability to be controlled by inexpensive light dimming circuits, and their availability in a wide range of sizes, configurations and wattages.

Unfortunately, incandescent lamps are inefficient. Because they produce light by heating a solid material until it glows, most of the energy they consume is given off as heat, resulting in low LPW performance.

Luckily, more energy efficient lighting options have become available for home lighting use. Tungsten halogen lamps are a refinement of incandescent technology that offer up to 20% greater energy efficiency, longer service life and improved light quality. In a standard incandescent lamp, tungsten from the filament evaporates over time and is deposited on the walls of the light bulb, thus reducing light output. The filament gets thinner and thinner and eventually breaks, causing the lamp to fail. The halogen gas inside a halogen lamp causes the evaporated tungsten to redeposit on the filament. This process, along with high pressure inside the capsule, slows down deterioration of the filament, improves lumen maintenance and extends the lamp’s service life.⁴

For more information on energy efficient lighting, visit Wolfers Green Zone.