A lot of electricity generated by the American power grid is dedicated toward a mundane but essential functioning for everyday life and work: lighting. Having the right lighting fixtures can mean the difference between a safe and convenient workplace versus one that is frustrating or even dangerous to work in, so any company should invest in the best lighting systems for a workplace, whether the overhead lights and lamps in an office space, warehouse lighting fixtures for crews to work under, or even the LED canopy fixtures or rigs on fishing boats or on buoys. Various models of light bulbs have existed since the days of Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla, and today, more powerful and efficient models than ever are available for commercial and private buyers alike, for garage lighting, a circuit board light fixture, lighted poles for outdoor gardens, and much more. What are some common types of light bulbs, and how do they differ in function and power from each other? Which types are best for different work environments?
Types of Bulbs
Car headlights, warehouse lighting fixtures, or the lamp in someone’s living room might use different types of bulbs than each other, and different models have emerged over the last century of lighting technology. Induction lighting, for example, was first pioneered by Nicola Tesla in the 1890s, and this lighting method involves exciting gas inside the bulb to create light while not even needing typical elements such as a filament or electrodes, which means a very long life of about 100,000 hours for this bulb type. Often, 60 or 70 lumens per watt can be expected from this type of bulb, or even more, depending on the model being used. All of this makes induction lighting today for commercial purposes, such as lighting up parking garages, which typically are required to be illuminated 24 hours a day.
Another model is fluorescent lighting, which may find itself edged out by competitors today, although it is still used as a budget friendly lighting method in some places. These bulbs may last for about 20,000 hours of use. However, neither induction lighting nor fluorescent lights may out-compete LED lights, which have emerged as highly effective, durable, and strong sources of light, and they can be used in a wide variety of forms and purposes, anything from an LED flood light to LED canopy fixtures to LED warehouse lighting, meaning that even in a mundane and industrial role like warehouse lighting fixtures, LEDs can find their way into nearly any workplace.
What are the advantages of this lighting method? Based on their methods of creating light, these bulbs can last a very long time, and they are much more energy efficient, and energy efficiency is a major concern in modern times. After all, energy efficiency means using less power for the same work, cutting down on the use of power plants that pollute the Earth. And given how lighting makes up 11% of the energy use in residential building, and 18% of that in commercial structures, transitioning to LED lights on a large scale can greatly cut down on electricity. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy has said that if enough LED lights replace other lighting fixtures, American energy usage could be halved. This is easy to believe, given how LEDs use just 15% of the energy that halogen bulbs do, and 85% more light output.
Where can LED lights be used? Often, they can be used in the exact same places that traditional bulbs can be used, plus some extra places where LED lights alone can be installed. Warehouse lighting fixtures and parking garages are just the start; short, waist-high poles can be set up in outdoor gardens or other walkways, illuminating the pathways and steering people away from bodies of water, gardens, or anything else, and these fixtures can double as landscaping. Fishing boats can install arrays of powerful LED lights to illuminate a dark workplace at night, and LEDs can act as powerful car and truck headlights as well. LED flashlights are another possibility, and any workplace can replace its existing lights with LEDs with the help of contractors to cut down on the energy bill, so these lights are a great investment.
