Choosing Lamps for the Home

Your next decision is which type of lamps to purchase. The three main types of household lamps are standard incandescent, tungsten-halogen incandescent, and fluorescent . With standard incandescent lamps, a small percentage of the electricity used actually produces light. Tungsten-halogen lamps are somewhat more energy-efficient, and fluorescent lamps are much more energy-efficient.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps

Two types of energy-efficient high intensity discharge (HID) lighting are widely available for exterior use: high pressure sodium (HPS) lights and metal halide lights.

HPS lamps are an efficient source of exterior lighting. While initially costing more than other sources, HPS fixtures use 70 percent less energy than standard incandescent floodlights and 40 percent less energy than common mercury vapour fixtures. HPS fixtures are estimated to have a lifetime of approximately 10 years.

Metal halide PAR lamps are more energy-efficient than tungsten-halogen or compact fluorescent PAR lamps. They provide a blue-white light source and can be used to highlight plants in gardens.