Lighting
Light globes are generally rated by how much power they use (in Watts), not how much light they produce. Light intensity, measured in Lumens, is sometimes indicated on a globe's packaging. A 20-Watt Compact Fluorescent light can produce about the same amount of light as a 100-Watt incandescent lamp.

Colour
The colour of the light produced is measured in degrees Kelvin. A normal incandescent light produces a yellowish 'warm' light, which has a colour temperature of around 2600 °K. 'Cool White' lights which attempt to approximate daylight have colour temperatures of around 5000 °K. There are several types of lights widely available today. Each with their own benefits & drawbacks

Light Fittings

The most common types are the standard bayonet base and the Edison screw base. These come in a variety of sizes to fit many different applications. There are many more shapes and sizes built for specific applications but lamps to fit the fixtures may not be as readily available. Out of interest, both types of fixtures have remained virtually unchanged for over 100 years. The point made by Alfred Swan, the inventor of the bayonet base, in a discussion about standardisation of bases for higher voltages still remains true. The bayonet base is safer than the edison version because neither wire is in contact with the metal rim of the lamp.
Compact Flourescent Lamps	Flourescent Lamps
Halogen Lamps	Incandescent Lamps
Choosing a Lamp	Back to Tutorials