History tells us that the electric light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. Sadly, as is the case with many defining moments in history, fiction has overtaken fact. While Edison certainly refined and commercialised the electric light bulb, the first electric light bulb was created in 1802 by Sir Humphrey Davy, although Davy’s bulb was not practical for commercial use. Davy’s bulb however, started a process which saw the incandescent light bulb being refined by various people. In 1841 Frederick de Moleyns received the first patent given for an incandescent lamp in the UK, followed by others and eventually by Edison who received a patent in 1879. The last major change to the incandescent light bulb was in 1911 when the carbon filaments in the bulb were changed to tungsten, resulting in a longer-lasting and brighter bulb.  

As the light bulb was being refined, electricity was also being developed into a usable commodity and in 1881 the first public electricity supply in the UK was generated in Godalming, Surrey, using a waterwheel, paving the way for the wider use of the electric light bulbs. The first National Grid was introduced in the UK in 1926.

The incandescent light bulb remained the most widely used electric light bulb until very recently and in fact there are still many of them in use today. However, they waste around 90% of the energy they use as heat, only converting 10% of that electric power into usable light. This lack of efficiency is also detrimental to the environment as it causes a higher than necessary level of greenhouse gas emissions.

Although they aren’t energy efficient, the cost of buying or replacing incandescent bulbs was low, which has made them an easy purchase for consumers. However, in the longer term, they are much more costly as well as being detrimental to the environment as they do not have a particularly long life expectancy, normally lasting for around a year. All standard 100-, 75-, 60- and 40-watt incandescent bulbs will shortly be phased out and will no longer be manufactured. 

Fluorescent lights became popular from the 1930s for commercial and industrial lighting and come in a wide variety of lengths, diameters and wattages. The compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is a fluorescent tube bent into a spiral and became commercialized in the mid-1980s. The first compact fluorescent light bulbs were larger than the current ones, limiting their applications and much more expensive than the incandescent bulbs.

The modern fluorescent light uses a fraction of the wattage incandescent bulbs use, giving them a much higher energy efficiency, longer life, and relatively lower cost in the longer term than the incandescent bulb.  They use around 30% of the energy that standard incandescent lamps use to produce a similar amount of light, with the added advantage of lasting around 10 to 15 times longer. They do however, have the drawback of taking some time to heat up and reach their maximum light output and generally do not work with dimmers.

The late 1950s saw the introduction of the Halogen light bulb which is an adaptation of the original incandescent bulb. These bulbs are much smaller than both of their traditional incandescent or fluorescent counterparts. Halogen bulbs will produce brighter white light while using less energy than their predecessors. They are called Halogen bulbs because they are filled with halogen gas rather than an inert gas used in the incandescent bulb, and have a lifespan of two to three times the standard incandescent light bulb. Most recessed ceiling lights use halogen bulbs.

Light-emitting diode or LED light bulbs were first seen around 2008 with a refined Phillips version hitting the supermarket shelves around three years later. These second generation LED bulbs were expensive costing around £30 but they are now priced somewhere in the region of £6.00 - £8.00. Most importantly for the present market where both cost and environment are major factors, they are now an affordable choice that uses 80% less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs are primarily used in larger spaces such as warehouses, commercial buildings or in streetlights. They are filled with sodium or mercury vapour that conducts electricity. HID bulbs don't have filaments like most light bulbs, so they last longer. HID lamps are used primarily in applications where it is important to generate as much visible light per watt as possible. Major applications include streetlights, gymnasiums, warehouses, large retail facilities, and stadiums.

 For domestic use, LED light bulbs are currently the best performing light bulbs coming top of the energy efficiency charts and in terms of life span are the best type of light bulbs overall. While incandescent and halogen bulbs only have a projected lifespan of around 1,000-2,000 hours and compact fluorescent light bulbs are rated to last closer to 10,000 hours on average, the LED lifespan outperforms the others hands down with an average estimated lifespan of 25,000 hours or more. This lifespan results in enormous savings for bulb replacement and cuts down on waste. 

Until recently, most people were mainly concerned about the brightness of their light bulbs which they measured in watts, with most opting for either a 40 or 60 watt bulb. But energy-efficient bulbs can produce the same amount of light with less wattage required, the new measure used is lumens. Lumens are the amount of light radiated or the brightness of the light bulb. The higher the lumen rating the brighter the light. 

Lumens aren’t the only thing to consider when selecting your bulbs. You should also look at the light bulb’s Kelvin rating or colour temperature to determine what kind of light you want in specific areas. Kelvin ratings range from 2,700 to 6,500, and are further described with colour temperature names. You can opt for soft white, warm white, bright white or daylight bulbs

Soft white bulbs range from 2,700 to 3,000 Kelvins and will give off a light which is warm and yellow, giving off a cosy hue which is best for bedrooms, studies, and living rooms.

Warm white bulbs range from 3,000 to 4,000 Kelvins. The light from these appears yellowish-white, which will be best suited to your bathroom and kitchen. 

Bright white bulbs range from 4,000 to 5,000 Kelvins, whose colour falls between white and blue and gives off an energetic vibe that is best in kitchens, offices, and other workspaces.

Daylight bulbs range from 5,000 to 6,500 Kelvins, the colour of these has a blue tone, best used near vanity mirrors or where you read and work.

We all have smart devices in our homes, smart-phones, smart-televisions and so on but we can also have smart-light bulbs. These Wi-Fi enabled light bulbs can be linked to remote devices such as smart-phones to allow you to control your lights even when you are not at home. Some are dimmable or colour changing, others are motion sensing, which do not need to be used in conjunction with a motion sensor switch, the bulb is the sensor.

Light bulb technology has come a long way since the Days of Edison and Swann and like most technologies, it will continue to develop and evolve and surprise us with its new capabilities.

If you are looking for help with any electrical issues, you may find some of these services useful: