Do vintage filament light bulbs still have a place in our homes?

Incandescent or vintage filament bulbs were a type of lighting fixture that were readily available at many outlets we shopped at. If a fixture at home stopped working, we’d go to the local store and buy a new one to bolt into place. However, over the past decade, these types of fixtures have been phased out in favor of energy-efficient varieties. What’s inside an incandescent or vintage light bulb? They are made up of a wire filament inside a glass casing.

This wire heats up as electricity is passed through it, this in turn will cause the wire to glow and power up the fixture. The filament is encased in glass or quartz and sometimes has a gas inside that helps with the lighting effect. These types of accessories come in all different shapes and sizes and can be used for a variety of functions. The most obvious is a light source in a room.

Many vehicles are equipped with filament bulbs, headlights and bicycles also use this type of accessory. Incandescent type fixtures are less than 5% efficient, this means that 95% of the energy put into the fixture will go to waste and only 5% will be converted to light. A lumen is a way the output can be measured, the higher the lumen the brighter the output. Incandescent fixtures produce 16 lumens per watt.

Since these types of fixtures produce a large amount of heat along with the light they emit, they are sometimes used for specialized applications. Incubators for hatching eggs, heat lamps for snakes and lizards, and even replica lava lamps from the 1960s use these types of bulbs. Typically, the glass top of a lava lamp can reach temperatures of 170 degrees Celsius.

Restrictions on these types of bulbs are coming into force around the world. Many countries, including the European Union, the United States, and Brazil, are slowly phasing out the use of these types of high-energy-draining fixtures.

Within the European Union, research suggests that 40 Twh (terrawatt hours) of electricity are saved each year by not using these types of fixtures. That equates to 15 million tons of CO2 emissions. The new technology in this field is the LED known as light emitting diode. This type of accessory is much more efficient than the old type and has the ability to last several thousand hours longer in normal use. They also produce much less heat than traditional accessories. Energy efficient type fixtures are the most popular type of fixture on the market today. The need for households to become more environmentally conscious and to reduce their CO2 emissions has become a focus for many.

However, the market and requirements for the old type of filament are still strong, many people still like the elegant look of this type of accessories. They have their place in residential areas, as well as specialized areas such as museums, bars, and other indoor commercial purposes. Due to the restriction of the original type of incandescent lamp, the new type is known as ‘heritage’ and offers the same look and design as the original bulb.

They can be installed with a brass effect bracket and used with different electrical cable designs can really add a touch of nostalgia to any room. Old accessories can still be purchased at many online retailers. Completing an online search will show a large number of companies that still offer the old type filament. Although they are not as energy efficient as LED fixtures, they still offer a necessity for those who require that touch of class and difference.