Luminaires: Halogen, fluorescent lamps and LEDs release incandescent lamps

The reason for this was the low efficiency of the lamps, which was about five percent. There are still three alternatives for lighting in the home: halogen lamps, fluorescent lamps and LEDs.


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Halogen lamps are still the most similar to the classic light bulbs, because they also have a filament of tungsten. This is fitted with the halogen iodine in a compact quartz glass bulb. The gas provides a stable atmosphere for the glowing thread. The lamps can be built smaller and are about 20 percent more efficient. However, after 2017, they are largely obsolete, as they can only reach energy saving class C.


The compact fluorescent lamp is commonly referred to as a "energy saving lamp". It consists of glass tubes, which are filled with mercury vapor and vaporized internally with fluorescent coating. The gas is converted into a conducting plasma by ionization, which emits almost only ultraviolet light. Only the phosphor of the coating converts it into visible light.


These lamps bear their nickname: compared to the conventional bulb, they save 70 to 85 percent of energy. The disadvantage is that mercury and phosphor are highly toxic, disposal as a special waste is expensive. The last in the league and the youngest are the light emitting diodes or LEDs.


In this case, a semiconductor emits light when current flows through, and at the same time acts as a diode. In terms of energy efficiency, LEDs are unbeatable and have a long life. In addition, LEDs are very compact and can even change the color in the form of RGB LEDs, which can not be any other type of lamp. This makes them perfect for home lighting control.


The organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is still to be mentioned as a special form of the LED. Although it has less luminosity than the conventional LED, it can also be installed on flexible plastic. So far above all for mobile phone, laptop and TV displays interesting OLED lamps are coming.


Philips has already used an intelligent mirror with this technology on the market. When buying lamps, one should pay attention to factors other than the type of light source. Thus, a higher wattage does not necessarily mean more luminosity. This is indicated in lumens. A matte 60 watt bulb has about 600 lumens, but a 35 watt halogen lamp is about the same.


An important aspect is also the light temperature. Sunlight is most similar to lamps with over 5,300 Kelvin (K), which is why one speaks of daylight-white light. In the range of 3,300 to 5,300 K, light is neutral white, while the temperature is 3,300 Kelvin. Since it resembles the light of a fire, warm white light is perceived as comfortable and relaxing, while neutral and daylight white seem rather stimulating, but also uncomfortable.