Halogen light bulbs serve as efficient lighting alternatives to incandescent light bulbs. Halogen lamps can be installed indoors and outdoors, and their soft white lighting quality makes them a popular choice for commercial or industrial businesses. Other benefits to installing a halogen light source include compact sizes that save energy and longer burn life. Plus, halogen light bulbs are easier on the eyes if reading is one of your daily tasks.

Choose halogen light bulbs types and styles such as A-lines or parabolic aluminized reflectors (PAR). Standard A-line, or A-shaped halogen bulbs, are available in clear or white colors. PAR halogen light bulbs, or flood lights, can be used as spotlights or as accent lighting. PAR halogen lights come in clear and white colors, as well as red, blue, amber, pink, green and yellow colors for events. J-type halogen light fixtures are tube-shaped bulbs suitable for factory, office or supermarket lighting. Miniature MR halogen bulbs provide daylight-quality lighting for product displays.

1. Pick halogen light bulbs based on voltage and power ratings.

2. Decide on the wattage you'll need to light rooms with halogen light bulbs.

3. Choose from parabolic aluminized reflectors (PAR), A-Line halogen light bulbs and other types of halogen lights.

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Shop for halogen light bulbs based on voltage power

Specifications for energy efficient halogen light bulbs include average lifespan, or light use, of 3,500 hours, and voltages ranging from 12 to 120 volts.

I recommend: Welch-Allyn Lighting distributes halogen lamps and halogen light bulbs to the industrial, dental and medical industries. Find high- and low-voltage halogen lighting at The Specialty Bulb Co.

Choose the number of watts you will need for halogen light bulbs

Halogen lighting quality must be suitable to your business and event settings. Halogen lamp bulb wattage generally ranges from 5 watts to 1,000 watts.

I recommend: Shokai Far East distributes halogen light fixtures suitable for automotive and other applications. Halogen light bulb distributor First Light Lighting Systems features brand-name halogen bulbs that range from 45 watts to 90 watts.

Pick from several designs of halogen bulbs

Types of halogen bulbs vary depending on room design, as well as business applications. Ball-shaped, floodlight-style and tubular are among the common shapes for halogen light fixtures.

I recommend: Lamp Technology stocks halogen lamps with bayonet and candelabra base styles. North American Signal stocks dome lights and halogen replacement light bulbs that flash or rotate for warning purposes. Light Bulbs Etc. lists its product line of halogen light fixtures according to shapes such as flood, J-type and MR-type bulbs.

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• •  Halogen bulbs are made of gases such as xenon, krypton, iodine and bromine. Manufacturers use these gases with the production of light filaments, which allow the halogen light bulbs to operate at high temperatures while providing efficiency.

Halogen light bulbs are a popular alternative to standard incandescent light bulbs, which generate a lot of heat for the amount of light they produce, making their operation relatively inefficient. Like incandescent bulbs, halogen lights burn a tungsten filament, but halogen bulbs' filaments are enclosed in a quartz envelope and use halogen gases to radiate light, which allows the filament to be recycled and last longer.

While halogen bulbs burn hotter than incandescent light bulbs, they are also more efficient at producing light. Halogen lamps run slightly more expensive than incandescent bulbs, about $4 or $5 per bulb, but last much longer and light a larger area than an individual incandescent bulb of the same size.

When investigating halogen light bulbs, do the following:

1. Browse the selection of halogen bulbs at light bulb distributors;

2. Look for halogen lights from specialized halogen lighting retailers;

3. Get halogen light fixtures for halogen bulbs.

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Shop for halogen light bulbs from large lighting warehouses

Big lighting distributors sell a range of light bulbs, including halogen light bulbs, incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lighting. The entire range of types of halogen bulbs are available from lighting warehouses, including flood lamps such as the MR and PAR varieties, as well as smaller double-ended and single-ended bulbs.

I recommend: Halogen lights are available online from both Bulbs.com and BuyLighting.com. Both sites sell a complete range of MR and PAR bulb types, as well as double- and single-ended lamps for light fixtures.

Purchase halogen lamps from specialized halogen lighting distributors

If you're looking for certain types of halogen lights, you may want to shop with a lighting distributor that specializes in halogen lamps. Halogen supply companies also offer a range of bulb types, as well as some cost-saving offers such as free shipping and competitive pricing.

I recommend: United Halogen Bulb Supply sells a range of halogen lights, including colored lighting, which may be harder to find from a wider scale lighting distributor. USA Light & Electric is a good choice if you're looking to buy halogen lights in bulk, because orders must be over $50. It also offers price matching on standard bulb and free shipping.

Get fixtures designed especially for halogen lighting

Halogen lighting has influenced many lighting design decisions as it has grown in popularity in the residential and commercial spheres. You can find attractive and functional recessed and display lighting designed for halogen bulbs, as well as more standard fixture types such as wall sconces.

I recommend: Pegasus Associates Lighting sells a wide range of halogen light fixtures, including wall sconces, track lighting, recessed lighting and display lighting. Lighting FX offers service for complete halogen lighting systems, including recessed lights and housings for any halogen system.

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Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you are planning to install a halogen commercial light system, consider purchasing halogen lamps, fixtures and wiring together to save costs on the products and shipping. Many distributors offer complete lighting systems that provide a convenient and cost-effective option if you are installing a new system.

When considering halogen light bulbs pricing and costs, one must consider what halogen light bulbs are. Unlike a regular bulb that is a tungsten wire enclosed in a glass envelope, a halogen light bulb is a tungsten wire enclosed in an envelop made of quartz. What also sets the two bulbs apart is the fact that halogen bulbs contain halogen gas, which can combine with the vapor the tungsten wire emits when it's heated and deposit it on the inside of the quartz envelope. This allows the tungsten filament to last longer and thus be more cost-effective.

The types of halogen bulbs vary, and can be for use in various light fixtures, from the conventional light fixture to commercial fixtures. Indeed, the halogen bulbs range from halogen lights suited to residential spaces to the halogen commercial light suited to the factory floor. To help provide information on halogen light bulbs pricing and costs, you will find information about types of halogen bulbs: residential, commercial and exterior.

1. Explore residential halogen light bulb pricing and costs.

2. Supply halogen lamps needed for commercial needs.

3. Purchase halogen light bulbs for exterior use.

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Find halogen bulbs suited for residential needs

If you are a builder, remodeler, Realtor, or all of the above, considering halogen light bulbs pricing and costs is worth doing for three reasons: money, money, money. First, halogen bulbs last longer so they do not have to be replaced as often. Second, halogen bulbs require less energy to run and therefore less money to run. Thirdly, halogen bulbs, since they don't have to be replaced as often, lend themselves to be used in hard-to-reach places like cathedral ceilings and more--once they're in place, the homeowner won't need to hire someone to replace them as often. Best yet, halogen replacement light bulbs don't necessarily have oddly shaped bases, which means they can be used in conventional light fixtures.

I recommend: Bulbs.com is a good source of halogen replacement bulbs and many varieties of the halogen lamp bulb. This company offers a discount when buying in bulk, so it pays to buy more. For example, if you buy up to nine 60 watt/120 volt halogen bulbs, you pay $4.50/bulb, but if you by 50+, you pay $3.99/bulb. 1000Bulbs has a similar bulk pricing offer: the pricing for the same bulb is $just over $3.00 for up to 5 type A halogen light bulbs, and $2.59 for 5 and up.

Get commercial halogen bulbs

Just as with halogen light bulbs for residential use, the commercial business owner will find savings when converting incandescent bulbs to halogen lighting. And, as with the residential use, employing halogen bulbs in hard to reach places makes economic sense. Of course, the bulk pricing will help still further.

I recommend: LightMart offers a wide range of commercial halogen bulbs in cases, some of which include 10 bulbs per case, with each bulb costing under $4.00. For orders under $500.00, the shipping is under $10.00. All-Lights sells their commercial halogen light bulbs in cases of 12.

Buy an outside halogen light source

Extend your savings to the outdoors by buying exterior halogen light bulbs. Bulk pricing can apply here as well, so you can flood the walkways, driveways and parking lots with aplomb.

I recommend: Buy Light Fixtures sells a mini-flood light that is a fine example of exterior halogen light fixtures. It is less than $60.00, and is built to last with a water resistant casing. United Halogen Bulb offers bulk prices to commercial customer. Contact them directly for a quote.

Halogen light bulbs have been around since the late 1950s and remain popular choices for automobile headlights and other applications that require really bright lights. If you're in the market for halogen light bulbs, do a little due diligence first and make sure you understand the terminology associated with halogen light bulbs before you begin shopping for them.

This guide addresses six terms associated with halogen light bulbs: halogen, tungsten filament, halogen cycle, filament necking, A-line halogen bulbs and Parabolic Aluminized Reflectors.

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Halogen

Halogens are five nonmetallic elements that are chemically related: fluorine, astatine, chlorine, iodine and bromine. Halogen bulbs are filled with a halogen gas that often includes traces of iodine. In halogen bulbs, the gas combines with evaporated tungsten atoms during the halogen cycle.

I recommend: Read more detailed information about halogen at Encyclopedia.com.

Tungsten filament

A tungsten filament is the metal part inside a halogen bulb. Enclosed inside a quartz envelope, the tungsten filament must reach a high enough temperature to produce the desired amount of light. Tungsten is a corrosion-resistant, hard, brittle metallic element that boasts the lowest vapor pressure and highest melting point of all metals. Its melting point is 3,410 degrees Celsius.

I recommend: Learn more about tungsten filaments and how they work at HowStuffWorks.

Halogen cycle

The halogen cycle is the process within halogen bulbs where tungsten filament particles first evaporate due to of heat. The evaporated tungsten material then collides with, and bonds chemically to, the halogen. Finally, the tungsten particles get redeposited on the filament, helping to extend the life of bulb.

I recommend: Get more details about the halogen cycle and view a flash animation demonstration of the halogen cycle at the GoodMart website.

Filament notching

In halogen bulbs, filament notching, also called filament necking, is one way halogen bulbs can fail. When the halogen bulb is turned on, the ends or necks of the filament heat faster than the rest of the filament and create thin spots that can break or melt if overheated. Devices called soft starts will keep the necks from overheating.

I recommend: Visit Robinson Lighting & Bath Centre and scroll down to the sections on "Care and Safety" and "Use of Halogen Bulbs with Dimmers" to learn more about how dimmers impact filament necking and halogen lamp failure.

A-line halogen bulbs

A-line halogen bulbs are lamps that come in the classic pear shape of traditional light bulbs but boast the long life of halogen bulbs. They're also called A-shaped or A-type halogen bulbs.

I recommend: View the features of A-line halogen bulbs at 1000Bulbs.com.

Parabolic Aluminized Reflectors (PAR)

A Parabolic Aluminized Reflector is a lamp commonly used in transportation, commercial and residential applications that include aircraft landing lights and train headlamps. PARs can be incandescent or halogen.

I recommend: Scroll down about one-third of the page at Best Home Systems to get more information on Parabolic Aluminized Reflectors.