The Decline of the Incandescent Light Bulb

When you think of a light bulb, chances are you picture the incandescent light bulbs that we use today. These bulbs have a threaded metal base and a glass bulb that is evacuated to create a partial vacuum devoid of air.

They are more fragile than LED bulbs and will break easily with a slight knock or touch. They also consume more electricity than LED bulbs, but they are inexpensive to purchase upfront.

Why Incandescents Are Still Popular

If you have been around the internet in the last week, you’ve probably seen a lot of flashy headlines proclaiming that it is the end of the incandescent light bulb. Most of the pieces offered advice on how to prepare, outlined exceptions, and pointed out how the change will save you money and energy.

Back in the 1800s, inventors realized that the best way to produce light was to use a filament wire heated output speed sensor until it glows. This type of lighting is cheap and versatile, making it the most popular type of bulb used in homes. Today, there are many different types of incandescent bulbs available, with each offering its own unique benefits.

Warren de la Rue, a British scientist, invented the first incandescent light bulb by enclosing a coiled platinum filament inside an evacuated glass tube with a positive pressure. His design worked, but it was impractical because of the cost of platinum. Throughout the 1800s, several other inventors tried to make practical light bulbs by using carbonized paper or cotton filaments, but it wasn’t until 1878 that Joseph Wilson Swan developed a carbon-filament bulb that would last more than 13.5 hours.

While incandescent light bulbs aren’t as efficient as other types of bulbs, they are still a great choice for some applications. Many people prefer incandescents for their warm glow, which looks great with most skin tones. They also tend to be cheaper than other types of bulbs and are easy to find in most hardware stores.

They Produce Warm Light

Although incandescent light bulbs convert about 90 percent of the energy they consume into heat rather than visible light, they produce a beautiful warm glow that can enhance the look of any room. They also render colors with a high degree of accuracy, providing the ideal light for reading or other tasks that require close attention.

The incandescent bulb is a remarkable invention. It is a filament in an evacuated glass bulb that is heated with electric current until it glows. This simple design was first developed in 1840 by Warren De la Rue. Later, Moses G. Farmer encapsulated a coiled platinum filament in a vacuum tube, making it more durable and allowing it to operate at higher temperatures.

In the 19th century, researchers began to explore other metals to make a more durable and longer-lasting light bulb filament. Karl Auer used osmium and Siemens employed tantalum. These were metals that could withstand higher temperatures and didn’t evaporate when exposed to an electric current. These metals lasted significantly longer than previous filaments, which meant that the bulb could be used in fixtures with lower temperature requirements.

Today’s light bulbs are rated in terms of their color temperature, rather than wattage. When you shop for a replacement bulb, you may see numbers like 2700K, 3000K or 4100K printed on the packaging. What do these numbers mean? The color temperature indicates what kind of light the bulb emits.

They Are Cheaper

Before LEDs became a thing, you could walk into a store and pick up an incandescent light bulb for about a buck. These bulbs use a lot of energy to produce light and can result in a high electric bill. But several years of development and competition have driven down prices to the point where you can often find similar LED options in the same aisle for around $5.

In addition to being expensive to run, incandescents have a short lifespan that makes them costly to replace. They burn out after about 1,000 hours on average, compared to CFLs that last 8,000 and LEDs that can go for 30,000.

Edison’s original light bulb was powered by a tungsten filament that heated to a very high temperature to generate heat and create light. Since then, inventors have made many improvements to the design and manufacturing process of this classic lighting technology.

The filament inside modern incandescent bulbs is surrounded by a glass bulb that’s evacuated to create a partial vacuum devoid of air and other contaminants that could affect the filament. The glass bulb also contains an inert gas like argon that keeps the filament from burning out.

Today’s most popular lighting options, including LED bulbs, come in a wide range of colors and can be paired with your smart home system, voice assistant of choice or other devices to control them. But incandescents still have a place for some types of lighting.

They Are Dimmable

If you’ve been following the latest energy news, then you’ll know that incandescent bulbs are being phased out. This traditional light source isn’t as efficient as modern alternatives, and it wastes a ton of electricity to produce that familiar, warm glow.

That’s a lot of wasted heat. The problem is that only about 2 percent of the electric current used to power a bulb ends up visible light. The rest is discarded as thermal energy. And that’s not just bad for the environment — it’s bad for your utility bill.

Fortunately, you can save some money by switching to LED bulbs and using a good quality dimmer switch. Dimmers work by altering the voltage that’s sent to a bulb. Reducing this voltage allows incandescent light bulb a bulb to use less of its energy, which in turn reduces the amount of light it produces.

When shopping for incandescent bulbs, you’re usually accustomed to looking at their wattage as a reliable indicator of how bright they will be. Unfortunately, wattage only tells you how much electricity the bulb uses; it doesn’t tell you how bright that tungsten filament inside will glow.

A standard 120 volt incandescent lamp has a maximum lumen output of about 1050 at full power. That number is slightly lower for 230 volt bulbs. This is because the thinner filament has to be heated to a higher temperature for the same life expectancy.