There are three main types of household lamps or lights to choose from—incandescent, halogen and fluorescent. These lights are suitable for different rooms and uses in your home (see chart on opposite page).

Incandescent
Incandescent lamps or bulbs are the most commonly used type of lighting. They are inexpensive to buy, but running costs are high. In addition, bulbs have to be frequently replaced as they last only 1000 hours. Incandescent lamps are recommended for infrequently used rooms.

Halogen
Halogen lamps are about twice as energy efficient as standard incandescent globes. They are more expensive to buy, but last up to 2000 hours.
Halogen lamps are ideal for highlighting features such as a painting on a wall or for reading. Halogen lamps are low voltage lights and require a
transformer

Fluorescent
There are two types of fluorescent lamps— compact and tubular.
Fluorescent lamps are the most energy efficient form of lighting. They are expensive to buy but cheap to run and last up to 8 000 - 16 000 hours.

Compact fluorescent lamps
Compact fluorescent lamps are designed to fit into conventional light sockets (bayonet and edison screw fittings). They use around one fifth of the
power of incandescent globes to provide the same amount of light. They come as a one or two-piece lamp. The advantage of the twopiece
lamp is that the bulb can be changed without having to buy a complete unit.

Compact fluorescent lamps are ideal for rooms where lighting is required for long periods of time, such as in the living room and kitchen.
Frequently switching fluorescent lights on and off reduces their life. They are not recommended for bathrooms and toilets.

Tubular fluorescent lamps
Tubular fluorescent lamps, also known as tube lights, are available as straight or circular tubes. They are cheaper to buy than compact fluorescent
globes. Tube lights are ideal for kitchens, garages and workshops.