As of 2012 the incandescent light bulb is being phased out in the US, just as it has been already over much of the rest of the western world. While Thomas Edison’s original invention has been refined to produce more light and a more natural looking light, it is highly inefficient. Although the compact fluorescent light bulb appears to be in the lead as far as popularity, there are other options to try before the old standbys, the incandescent light bulbs disappear from store shelves almost entirely.
However, the replacements for what has been the standard household light bulb all have some excellent points, such as greatly increased energy efficiency they each have some drawbacks as well. In the case of some of the new lighting sources, the drawbacks are apparent at the checkout stand, the price. With any new technology there are improvements to be made and so it is with more efficient light sources.
CFL bulbs are commonly known as compact fluorescent light bulbs. They have long been used in industrial situations where a bright and low cost lighting source was desirable. The newer generation however fits in a standard light socket, lasts far longer than the regular incandescent and is slightly more expensive to purchase than the incandescent. On the other hand it is readily available, highly efficient and long lived. If this type of bulb is to be used outdoors or in extremely low temperatures it must be clearly marked low temperature because one drawback to CFL is the fact they generally work poorly in lower temperatures.
LED lights used to be limited to electronics dash boards and control lights and flash lights. The reason for that was their small size and the expense in producing them. Although still expensive these lights can last up to ten times as long as CFL energy efficient lights and can be found sold clustered to produce more light. LED lights are highly energy efficient but less popular than CFL due to the expense of producing them.
Recently a new comer has entered the market vying for a share of the attention from consumers. This new bulb is called an ESL bulb. ESL is an acronym for Electron Stimulated Luminescence and operates by exciting phosphor to produce a much more natural appearing light. This type of bulb has an enhanced life span, is highly energy efficient, contains no mercury and can also be dimmed.
Energy efficient bulbs do cost more initially there is no escaping that fact and it has depressed sales of energy efficient bulbs somewhat. However the energy savings and the increased longevity with these bulbs tend to more than make up for the somewhat increased price to purchase. The CFL bulb seems to enjoy the most consumer acceptance for now, but that may well change.
In time the CFL may be replaced by a brighter, better and more efficient type of bulb it currently is the most widely distributed. Technology has been hard at work removing the limitations inherent in the bulb and there are currently CFL bulbs that can be dimmed or used even in very low temperature situations. These fluorescent light bulbs can be purchased for almost every level of light intensity desired.
But nobody seemed to be able to find the right material for the filament. It was the beginning of the industrialization of the world. light bulbs The quartz gives off a white light unlike the pinkish light given off by the incandescent bulbs though.. Also published at Energy Efficient Light Bulbs And The New Choices.