Artificial illumination of our built environment is made possible with the help of electric lighting from electric current using light bulbs.


Candles, kerosene lamp, fire were widely used before the advent of electric lighting. The incandescent lighting technology revolutionized the world.
The areas of application of lighting technology include: residential lighting, office lighting, display lighting, outdoor lighting, mood lighting, emergency lighting, traffic lighting.
The types of lighting technology: Incandescent; Compact fluorescent lamp (CFL); and Light emitting diode (LED).
Characteristics of Incandescent Lighting

Revolutionized the world
The filament need to get hot before it lights
Has average lifetime of 1,000 hours
About 10% of its electricity is converted to light
Gives light in all directions
Consume more power
Dissipates more heat (about 90% energy as heat)
Characteristics of Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Lighting


Contains hazardous mercury
The filament need to get hot before it lights
Has average lifetime of 5,000 hours
About 30% of its electricity is converted to light
Gives light in all directions
Consume less power than the incandescent but more than the LED
Dissipates less heat than the incandescent but more than the LED
It takes 30seconds to 3minutes to achieve full brightness
Characteristics of Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting


Contains no mercury
Durable, long lasting, more efficient, and gives out better light quality
More cooler to touch after being on for a long time
It last much more longer than both incandescent and CFL
About 30% of its electricity is converted to light
It gives light downwards
Consume less power than both incandescent and CFL
Dissipates less heat than both incandescent and CFL
It has dimmable non dimmable types
It works with light motion sensors
It has lower impact on the environment
LED bulbs are more expensive than the same ratings of incandescent and CFL
With LED lighting technology, you can save a lot on your energy bill, and also reduce the frequency of bulb replacement.
Kazeem Olugbade, ProFM, is a facility management professional who has extensive knowledge and skills in the subject areas.
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