The incandescent light bulb was invented in about 1802. Practical incandescent light bulbs were not invented until 1878 when tungsten was used for the filament. In many respects the technology hasn't changed much after the initial refinements. First let me explain how an incandescent light bulb works.

How Incandescent Light Bulbs Work

Electricity goes through a thin strand of material called a filament. The material gives off light after it is heated in a process called incandescence. The filament is tightly would like a spring so that there is more length to give off light. Being enclosed inside a glass shell protects the filament. The excessive heat produced by the electricity would cause the filament to burn up if it were exposed to the oxygen in the air. Incandescent light bulbs are usually filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen to prevent the filament being exposed to oxygen. To better project the light outward a pear shaped bulb is usually used.

The Drawbacks of Incandescent Lighting

There are several drawbacks to incandescent light bulbs.

* Incandescent light bulbs use significantly more electricity than other light emitting bulbs such as fluorescent bulbs. Depending on the cost of your electricity, average savings for using fluorescent lighting for a comparable incandescent bulbs may be $60-$75 per year assuming 4 hours of usage a day.

* The incandescent bulb works by heating the filament. 90% of the energy used is converted to heat. For a few months in the winter you add heat to the house and its welcome. The other 9 months of the year its unwanted heat you will air condition or attempt to vent away. Remember the child's toy oven that baked cookies with nothing but a light bulb inside it? Also, when the incandescent bulb burns out you must wait for it to cool before you change it, or protect your fingers from being burnt.

* The quality of incandescent light is poor. Your eyes adapt to it, but uncorrected photographs show the yellowish orange cast given by incandescent light bulbs. Poultry farms avoid raising fowl under incandescent lights because it can cause self-destructive stress in the birds.

* Incandescent light bulbs have a relatively short life span. Many other light systems such as the fluorescent will last up to 13 times as long.

* The hazards of an incandescent bulb breaking off in the light socket. If you have light fixtures mounted high up on the ceiling like I do, and an incandescent light bulb breaks, replacing it is like a surgeon removing his own appendix.

First you have to remember to turn off the socket so you don't electrocute yourself. Then you have to put on a leather glove, or use half of a raw potato to 'bite' into the broken glass so you can try to twist the bulb out of its threads. All of this is done while balancing on a ladder.

In conclusion, a fluorescent light bulb uses substantially less electricity, does not emit waste heat, lasts up to 13 times longer between replacement, does not emit yellowish orange light, and is very easy to replace. Given the choice, I always choose fluorescent lighting over incandescent or halogen lighting.