Light Bulbs

Incandescent

This type of lamp has been universally produced throughout the world for some considerable time and is widely used in industry and the home. They are produced with different bases to fit the varied types of fittings manufactured throughout the world. The most common in the U.K. is the bayonet fitting and this is produced in two sizes i.e Bayonet Cap (BC B22) or the Small Bayonet Cap (SBC B15) for our domestic market. Most of the rest of the world have opted for the Screw connection and these are described as Edison Screw fittings. Their size is expressed in millimetres, but the large and small size in general use are designated as ES (E27mm) and SES (E14mm).  The lamps are cheap to produce, but these will be phased out during the next few years in a bid to reduce energy consumption.

Low Energy

Fluorescent

The most commonly used low energy bulb uses fluorescent technology. They use about a fifth of the wattage of an incandescent lamp and come in different designs to suit different fittings. They are readily available as ordinary shaped light bulbs, 2D shape, single and multi-tubed designs. They are capable of being manufactured to any shape to suit a designer’s requirements.

Halogen

The halogen lamp is really a development of the tungsten filament incandescent lamp. The gas in the lamp which prevents the element from burning out is changed to a Halogen gas. This produces a whiter light and increases the output of the lamp by up to 50% enabling lower wattage bulbs to be used. Most of our familiar shaped lamps are now being produced with a small internal halogen capsule, and these will become more available as the old incandescent lamps are phased out.

Halogen lamps are made to run on low voltage 12 volt (usually through a transformer) or on a mains 240 volt supply.

The 12 volt lamps are made as reflector bulbs or capsules. The reflectors are referred to as Dichroic and are connected to the supply by two pins protruding from the base. They come in various sizes and wattages but the pins are either 5.3mm(G5.3) or 4mm(G4) apart.  The 12 volt capsules are produced in the same pin configuration.

LED

The development of the Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps is on-going and this work promises a range of super efficient lamps, both in the quality of light and consumption. The best will probable result in a 90% reduction in power consumption over the incandescent lamp.

Comment

The efficiency of the low energy lamps and their longevity often pays for the initial purchase cost and shows a return on the investment over the life of the unit. The deployment of low energy lamps in high usage areas (where lamps are in continuous use i.e. inner hallways etc.) will show the best overall savings.

Please do not touch capsules with your bare hands as this leaves finger marks on the glass surface and may result in the premature failure of the lamp.

It is worth mentioning that force should not be used to insert capsules or dichroic lamps. If there is resistance, then a gentle rocking motion parallel to the pins whilst applying light pressure will help fitting. This does not apply to the GU10.