Types of Lighting

You'll find that you have several options to consider when selecting what type of lighting you should use in your home.

When selecting an efficient lighting, it's a good idea to understand basic terms and principles of lighting. Also, it helps to explore your lighting options for indoors or outdoors if you haven't already. This will help narrow your selection.

Types of lighting include:

* Incandescent lighting
* Fluorescent lighting
* High-intensity discharge lighting
* LED lighting (light-emitting diodes)
* Low-pressure sodium lighting
* Outdoor solar lighting



You can use the chart below to compare the different types of lighting.

Lighting Comparison Chart

Lighting Type	Efficacy (lumens/ watt)	Lifetime (hours)	Color Rendition Index (CRI)	Color Temperature (K)	Indoors/ OutdoRR
Incandescent
Standard "A" bulb	10–17	750–2500	98–100 (excellent)	2700–2800 (warm)	Indoors/ outdoors
Tungsten halogen	12–22	2000–4000	98–100 (excellent)	2900–3200 (warm to neutral)	Indoors/ outdoors
Reflector	12–19	2000–3000	98–100 (excellent)	2800 (warm)	Indoors/ outdoors
Fluorescent
Straight tube	30–110	7000–24,000	50–90 (fair to good)	2700–6500 (warm to cold)	Indoors/ outdoors
Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL)	50–70	10,000	65–88 (good)	2700–6500 (warm to cold)	Indoors/ outdoors
Circline	40–50	12,000			Indoors
High-Intensity Discharge
Mercury vapor	25–60	16,000–24,000	50 (poor to fair)	3200–7000 (warm to cold)	Outdoors
Metal halide	70–115	5000–20,000	70 (fair)	3700 (cold)	Indoors/ outdoors
High-pressure sodium	50–140	16,000–24,000	25 (poor)	2100 (warm)	Outdoors
Light-Emitting Diodes
Cool White LEDs	60–92	35,000–50,000	70–90 (fair to good)	5000 (cold)	Indoors/ outdoors
Warm White LEDs	27–54	35,000–50,000	70–90 (fair to good)	3300 (neutral)	Indoors/ outdoors
Low-Pressure Sodium	60–150	12,000–18,000	-44 (very poor)		Outdoors