hõõglamp

Hõõglamp, or incandescent lamp, is an electric light that produces visible light by heating a filament to incandescence. The filament, usually tungsten, is sealed inside a glass bulb that is evacuated or filled with an inert gas. When electric current passes through the filament, it encounters resistance and becomes extremely hot, emitting light as well as heat.

Most common configurations use an Edison screw or a bayonet-type base, such as E27 or E14, and standard shapes like the A-series bulbs. The bulb’s environment—vacuum or inert gas—helps to extend life. A related variant is the tungsten-halogen lamp, which uses a halogen gas to regenerate the filament and improve efficiency and lifespan, but it is typically treated as a separate category from traditional hõõglamp.

Hõõglamp has a long history, with carbon-filament lamps developed in the late 19th century and tungsten filaments becoming standard in the early 20th century. Improvements in vacuum or gas-filled designs increased reliability and life. Despite their simplicity and excellent color rendering, incandescent lamps are among the least energy-efficient light sources currently in common use.

Efficiency and regulation: incandescent lamps have low luminous efficacy, commonly in the range of about 10–18 lumens per watt, and they emit a large amount of heat. Consequently, many regions have phased out general-purpose incandescent lighting in favor of more efficient technologies such as fluorescent and, especially, LED lighting. Incandescent lamps remain available for niche uses, including high color rendering, dimmable lighting, and decorative applications.

Color temperature and rendering: they typically produce warm white light (around 2700 K) with very high color rendering (CRI near 100), contributing to familiar, natural-looking illumination. Lifespan is generally 1,000–2,000 hours, shorter for higher-output variants.