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![Cartoon of an LED bulb saying 'Watch out world, power saver coming through!' and an incondescent bulb leaving the scene.](light-bulbs.png)
If you need a new light bulb, you have a hard decision to make. There are several kinds of light bulbs to choose from. What are they? Does it make a difference?
Lights use a lot of electricity, so it's important to use the most efficient ones. Efficient bulbs use less electricity to make light. Using less electricity in turn creates less pollution. It's better for everyone.
So what are the different kinds of light bulbs?
The most common light bulbs you can find at the store are incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL), light emitting diodes (LED), fluorescent, and halogen. It can feel overwhelming!
Let's look at each one individually.
Incandescent
![incandescent light bulb](incandescent.png)
Credit: KMJ, alpha masking by Edokter
CFL
![CFL light bulb](cfl.png)
Credit: Sun Ladder
Fluorescent
![fluorescent light bulb](fluorescent.png)
Credit: Christian Taube
LED
![LED light bulb](led.png)
Credit: Led-neolight
Halogen
![halogen light bulb](halogen.png)
Credit: de:Benutzer:Ralf Pfeifer