The way for incandescent lamps to generate light is by passing electric current through a resistive filament, thereby heating the filament to a very high temperature so that it glows and emits visible light over a broad range of wavelengths. Incandescent sources yield a "warm" yellow or white color quality relying on the filament operating temperature. Incandescent lamps emit 98% of the energy input as heat. A 100 W light bulb for 120 V operations emits about 1,180 lumens, about 11.8 lumens/W; for 230 V bulbs the figures are 1340 lm and 13.4 lm/W. However, the electricity usage of incandescent lamps is 60 W while the led product is generally 12.5 W.Incandescent lamps are relatively inexpensive to make. The typical lifespan of an AC incandescent lamp is 750 to 1,000 hours, while led lamps can last for 25,000 hours' lifespan. They work well with dimmers. Most older light fixtures are designed for the size and shape of these traditional bulbs.
Different from incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps work by passing electricity through mercury vapor, which in turn emits ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light is then absorbed by a phosphor coating inside the lamp, causing it to glow, or fluoresce. Induction fluorescent relies on electromagnetism rather than the cathodes used to start conventional linear fluorescent. Compared with led lamps, fluorescent lamps are also energy-saving and high-efficient. However, it contains mercury vapor which will pollute the environment and led products have the longer lifespan. Its life expectancy depends on the number of on/off cycles, and is lower if the light is cycled often. In addition, led lamps have the higher security.