Wisconsin Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Resource
Your resource site for information on energy conservation.Incandescent Lamps
The standard incandescent bulb, invented in 1879, was the first type of electric lamp and is sometimes referred to as the Edison bulb named after its inventor, Thomas Edison. This technology is still the mainstay of lighting despite being the least efficient of the lighting technologies. A typical 60-watt incandescent bulb has a life of about 750 to 1000 hours and emits light that has a color rendering index (CRI) of close to 100%. It is available in many different versions from miniature lights for a Christmas tree to powerful flood lamps for area lighting. It has the advantage of providing light instantaneously even in cold temperatures. The light emitted is in the center of the light spectrum.
A tungsten halogen lamp is a type of incandescent lamp that is slightly more efficient and allows for more light output per lamp than a standard incandescent bulb. They last 2000 to 6000 hours, so despite their higher cost, the maintenance costs should be less. This type of lamp is well suited for short term outdoor area lighting controlled with a photo/motion detector control.
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Scott Sanford, Senior Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin, sasanford@wisc.edu.
