Lighting plays an important role, and most homeowners, when going through home lighting project, tend to consider the size and brightness of the light. However, there are various types of bulbs, and have special properties like energy efficiency, low cost, long life, etc.

Different Types of Light Bulbs and Their Uses

Incandescent
These are the most common type of light bulbs used. Incandescent bulbs work by heating up a tungsten filament in the bulb, till the light bulb glows. They provide a steady warm, light which is good for most household applications. A standard bulb can last up to 1,000 hours.

Halogen
These are a variation of incandescent bulbs, where the light is produced by passing current though a tungsten filament, that is enclosed in a tube containing halogen gas. The gas causes a chemical reaction, that removes the tungsten from walls and deposits it back on the filament, thus increasing the life of the bulb. These are smaller in size and can be dimmed, but they are more expensive and burn at a much higher temperature. They provide a much brighter, whiter light compared to incandescent.

You can use them for ceiling and wall fixtures. You can use many of the bulb types to create recessed lighting. The types of light bulbs for recessed lighting that can be used are incandescent, R bulbs, halogen and low voltage halogen bulbs. Recessed lighting offers clean stream light in the household, and so often used in ceiling loft lights.

Fluorescent
These light bulbs work by passing electricity through a tube which is filled with argon gas and mercury, which produces ultraviolet radiation that bombards the phosphorous coating allowing to emit light. They come in a variety of colored light bulbs, and work good for bathroom and kitchen lighting.

CFL
Compact fluorescent lamps also called CFLs, are modern light bulb which is like a fluorescent light bulb, but comes in a more compact size. It can come in short glass sticks or tubular loops. It comes in various types of light bulb sockets. It comes in fit screw types of light bulb fittings and also in snap in types of light bulb bases. They are more energy efficient, and can last up to 10,000 hours.

LED
Light Emitting Diodes light bulbs don't have any filament in it, but they emit light when a current passes through them. As they have low consumption of energy, they have a long life. LED lights are being used in many application, and competing with conventional lighting bulbs.

HID
These are High Intensity Discharge Lamps. The light bulbs that fall in the HID category are Mercury Vapor, Self-Ballasted Mercury, High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide lamps. These bulbs produce light by hitting an electrical arc across the tungsten electrodes which are inside a special glass tube, that is filled with both gas and metals, that helps to start the lamp. These light bulb types are used only when energy efficiency or long life is required, and so used in many public rooms.

Low Pressure Sodium Lamps
These have the highest efficacy of all the commercially available lights. Though, they emit a yellow light. They work similar to the fluorescent bulbs, there is a small warm up, till the bulb can emit full brightness. They are commonly seen used for outdoor lighting roadway, parking lot or in pathway lighting.

When looking at your hardware store, read the label on the box of the light bulb carefully, to see its life, its power, and type to select the right kind of light bulbs according to their use.