Difference Between Incandescent Bulbs and Fluorescent Lamps

  

Incandescent Bulbs vs Fluorescent Lamps

The two most common types of lighting fixtures today are incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lamps. Incandescent bulbs are rather old and outdated while fluorescent lamps are relatively new and is replacing incandescent bulbs in a lot of applications. The biggest difference between the two is in how they produce light. Incandescent bulbs produce light by a heating a metallic filament until it starts to radiate light. On the other hand, fluorescent lamps produce light by exciting a gas and causing it to glow.

The newer and more technologically advanced fluorescent lamps have better characteristics compared to incandescent bulbs, the most important of which is efficiency. In order to produce the same amount of illumination as a fluorescent lamp, an incandescent bulb consumes anywhere from 4 to 8 times as much power. Much of the wasted power in incandescent bulbs turns to heat. Although the generation of heat is sometimes desirable, like in incubators, it is often just a waste of energy and money.

Another key problem of incandescent bulbs is their relatively short lifetime. Although improvements have been made to increase its lifespan, the filament still burns out pretty quickly. Fluorescent lamps last much longer than an incandescent bulb, making them preferable since you would not need to change them as often.

Although fluorescent lamps are cheaper in the long run as they last longer and consume a lot less power, the initial cost of using it is much higher compared to incandescent bulbs. Aside from the bulb itself, you would also need to purchase a ballast, a starter, and the fixture that would hold everything together. There are compact fluorescent bulbs in the market today, and they are very similar to incandescent bulbs, but they already contain all the neededelements in it; thus the much higher price.

Some people do prefer the warm light produced by incandescent bulbs, which is more like the light from the sun, compared to the clinical white light produced by fluorescents.

Summary:
1. Incandescent bulbs produces light from a heated filament while fluorescent lamps produce light by way of a gas discharge
2. Incandescent bulbs are way more inefficient than fluorescent lamps
3. Incandescent bulbs produce a lot of heat compared to fluorescent lamps
4. Incandescent bulbs do not last as long as fluorescent lamps
5. Incandescent bulbs are much cheaper compared to fluorescent bulbs
6. Incandescent bulbs produce a warmer light than fluorescent bulbs