• Incandescent

• Halogen

• Fluorescent

• Compact Fluorescent

• High Intensity Discharge (HID)

Incandescent Lamps

* Incandescent - the original lamp

* Invented in 1879 by Thomas Edison

* Incandescent means - “emitting visible light as a result of being heated“

* Also referred to as a GLS lamp which stands for General Lighting Service

* A technology that has stood the test of time

* Incandescent lamps produce light when a length of wire (filament) is heated by an electrical current (about 2500°C)

* The wire or filament is made of tungsten

* If exposed to air the filament would burn up in a short time

* Air is removed from the glass bulb to create a vacuum or an inert gas inserted, usually nitrogen, argon or krypton gas

* The lamp fails when the tungsten filament evaporates, a thin spot melts or becomes weak and breaks

* A cold filament has less resistance than a hot one – which is why many lamps fail when turned on

Incandescent Lamp Types

• GLS – General Lighting Service

• Reflector

• Spherical

• PAR

• Candles

• Fancy Round

• Pilots

• Blacklight Blue

• Indicator and various other types

Incandescent Lamp Bases

• Bayonet BC B22d

• Small Bayonet SBC B15d

• Small Bayonet SBC BA15d

• Edison Screw ES E27

• Small Edison Screw SES E14

• Giant Edison Screw GES E40

Strengths

• Instant on

• Instant full light output

• Excellent colour rendering

• Low initial cost

• Ease of replacement

• Dimmable

Weaknesses

• Expensive to operate when compared to other lamp types

• Shorter lamp life