14 ms·

LED lights will change the world as incandescent bulbs phase out

14 points by thedday 3y ago

pauldenton 3y ago
Does anyone else get whiplash when it comes to stories like this? Like you'll see headlines like Incandescent lightbulbs are officially banned from being Manafactured in America, and a week later when there's backlash to the ban you get headlines saying "no Democrats are not actually banning light bulbs and here's the source of that conspiracy theory" I saw this happen with the championing then claiming conspiracy on Gas powered stove bans. I saw this happen with championing then claiming conspiracy theory with banning gas powered cars by 2035 It's either a conspiracy theory that isn't happening, or it is happening and here's why it's a good thing
AlphaWeaver 3y ago
> LEDs are inherently dimmable. What? This isn't true. LEDs function using DC current, and are either on or off. "Dimmable" LEDs have chips in the bulbs that use pulse-width modulation (PWM) to turn the diodes on/off at a different rate to create the dimming effect. All incandescent bulbs are dimmable (on AC power) with no additional hardware other than the dimmer, which adjusts the input voltage to the bulb. Try to do this with a non-dimmable LED and you'll damage the bulb.
- sourthyme 3y ago
  Does it damage the bulb? I thought it just pulsed at a visible rate because it can't turn on consistently. Does rapidly turning off/on diodes reduce the life of a bulb?
- gizmo686 3y ago
  I've never done it with lightbulb level LEDs, but with circut type leds, I've gotten them dimmer by simply using an oversized resistor. Modern incandescent dimmers don't change the voltage. They just chop off portions of the AC wave, which produces something like a PWM wave, except the on voltage is not constant. I wouldn't want to try using this chopped up wave to power anything more complicated than a light bulb, but I don't see how it would damage an LED.
- housemusicfan 3y ago
  > which adjusts the input voltage to the bulb This isn't exactly true; no one has used a rheostat for dimming in like 50 years since that just wastes power. Most incandescent dimmers implement cycle chopping where they clip the beginning or end of the AC cycle (the type used depends on the implementation). Most commonly done using a diac or triac. Most "LED" in wall dimmers work this way too because you can't PWM dim on the other side of the power supply. This is also why in practice most LED bulbs are shit and even the best bulbs will visibly flicker whilst dimming. Yes LEDs are DC but as a compromise you have to implement dimming on the AC side because homes are wired with AC power.
  - midoridensha 3y ago
    >Yes LEDs are DC but as a compromise you have to implement dimming on the AC side because homes are wired with AC power. This isn't universally true. Here in Japan, there's commonly-available LED ceiling fixtures (that look something like UFOs) that are dimmable with a remote control. They surely use PWM dimming, but it's done in the LED driver circuit; the fixture is getting the same 100VAC at all times. They also commonly have bluer and yellower LEDs, so you can adjust the light spectrum with your remote control.
    - housemusicfan 3y ago
      Yes but we are talking about bulbs (with Edison base) here not all-in-one fixtures. Yes, the same could be said about ceiling fans with built in remote receiver. The problem with these of course is you need the remote, and if you lose it you're out of luck. Some manufacturers make a little dock for the remote that would go in place of the light switch but I happen to think those are silly.
      - midoridensha 3y ago
        >Yes but we are talking about bulbs (with Edison base) here not all-in-one fixtures. Sure, but there's little difference between the two practically. Both of them are a light-emitting device, which plugs into a simple, standard socket on the ceiling. The ones I refer to are bigger, since they're meant to light up a whole room, but otherwise not really different, except that the standard socket is a lot better and easier to use (you just turn the fixture a quarter-turn to plug it in).
- cwillu 3y ago
  You absolutely can dim an LED via constant current control. Nobody does it that way at scale, but the LEDs work that way just fine. Source: I have a 5-way constant-current dimmer on a breadboard on my desk driving 5 CREE XLamp CXA Series LED's.
  - wlesieutre 3y ago
    Nobody does it that way in screw-base retrofit bulbs, but there's a whole world of commercial lighting where constant current is pretty widely used. Drivers from vendors such as Tridonic https://www.tridonic.com/en/int/product-finder/led-drivers?filterParams=category%3DPC_LED_DRIVERS%26OPERATING_MODE%3DConstant%2Bcurrent https://www.tridonic.com/en/int/product-finder/led-drivers?f... Advantages include lack of flicker and more reliable LED boards (hardly any components except for the LEDs). Drivers still fail, but it's nice to have them be a replaceable part.
superkuh 3y ago
This might be true if everyone everywhere had good clean wall power. But since they don't, light bulbs, even LED bulbs, continue to be be a consumable object. The early claims of 50,000 hours never happened. They're down to claiming 10,000 hours and even this is only if you have perfect power. LED bulbs, at least in my apartment, actually last a shorter amount of time than halogen bulbs. At least halogens and incandescents were just a bit of glass and some wire. LED bulbs all have a circuit board with many components. If they're taking the place of incandescent and still being a consumable item it might be worse for the environment in the long run. At least incandescents using lots of power puts all the CO2 production in centralized locations that can be mitigated. LEDs environmental footprint is much more distributed. I'm not against LEDs light bulbs. I replaced almost all of mine with LEDs (though I have a stockpile of halogens for some uses). But they're certainly not going to change the world. Light bulbs remain consumable items.
- shrubble 3y ago
  It's planned obsolescence... there are parts in the drivers that if specified at a higher quality would last a lot longer. Cost of the additional quality would be a few cents.
- matheweis 3y ago
  > Light bulbs remain consumable items. And worse, they cost ten to twenty times as much as comparable incandescent bulbs, and they honestly don’t even last as long..
  - Turing_Machine 3y ago
    That's not my experience. Even the cheap LED bulbs last far longer than incandescent ones.
  - neongodzilla 3y ago
    And that is all entirely by design. Which means it can be changed. It is an issue with the companies, not the technology.
  - atoav 3y ago
matheweis 3y ago
> An LED bulb provides the same amount of light as an incandescent while using 90 percent less electricity It’s a nice idea, pretty cool to light the entire house for pennies an hour. > and lasting 25 times longer I refuse to believe it. It may be possible but in practice even “quality” LED bulbs have either awful QC, intentionally engineered obsolescence, or both. About a year ago I replaced every bulb in my house with upper end Phillips LED bulbs, probably 50 or more of them. 20% of them have already failed.
- Maxion 3y ago
  Huh weird. I’ve been all led since like 2015 and I’ve had one bulb fail. I think I have around a hundred bulbs. All automated with home assistant. A few even on dimmers (though never dimmed).
  - civeng 3y ago
    Agreed. You got a bad batch perhaps. When CA first required high efficacy lighting in kitchens via Title 24 in 2010, it was a train wreck, there were no good options and it got a bad name. Slowly they were required throughout new construction in tightening requirements every three years. Then technology caught up and the quality, flexibility, color and lumen options have far exceeded incandescent bulbs. Now people are doing things never imagined (as discussed somewhat awkwardly in the article) with LEDs spurred in part by legislation that pushed the technology from behind. Perhaps one of the few times technology didn't create the product and market. Legislation has created the market, and technology responded. Doesn't usually work out that way... Now however, the new control requirements are ridiculous and add far more cost than will ever be recouped. Most likely since these requirements were planned back when California used 90 percent more electricity for lighting, it seems rather useless especially in the face of our unaffordable housing. Hopefully I am wrong there but it seems we went a bit too far.
- lame-robot-hoax 3y ago
  I’ve lived in an apartment with all LED lighting for just over two years, and not a single light has ever gone out in my apartment. In the apartment I had before with non LED lighting (not sure what it was specifically, I had about 25-30% of my lights fail within 18 months.
zx8080 3y ago
Is it only me or is it the same for others that it's harder to read from paper (book or magazine or newspaper) under LED comparing to incandescent or halogen?
- zx8080 3y ago
  Probably it's due to a non-continuous spectre, however LEDs specs are known to promise it, somehow.
luxuryballs 3y ago
Does this mean we have to go back to candles and lamps to get the same ambiance? Will YouTube ban videos for DIY homemade lightbulbs? So many questions.
spaceman_2020 3y ago
While I understand their popularity and appreciate the far lower energy consumption, a part of me still wants incandescent bulbs back. They had a warm, inviting glow that’s entirely missing from LEDs
- Tijdreiziger 3y ago
  You can get that if you buy the ‘filament’ type LED bulbs
- jochem9 3y ago
  As the other commenter said, there are bulbs that mimic the filament of an incandescent bulb. On top of that there are designs that go beyond that. E.g. I have a bulb that has LEDs shine light through sculpted plexiglass, creating a beautiful pattern of warm light inside the bulb. This goes beyond what an incandescent bulb can do.
- eternityforest 3y ago
  I don't think incandescent was ever banned. They just have to meet a certain efficiency, and they are working on photon recycling incandescent builds that actually beat LEDs I think.
pfdietz 3y ago
The only complaint I have with LEDs is fixtures that don't allow adequate airflow. Heat buildup shortens their lifespan. On the plus side, they work much better outdoors than CFLs do.
- Gibbon1 3y ago
  Agreed. As someone that off and on designs electronics a standard light bulb + fixture is a bad match for LED lighting because it's not really designed for heat dissipation. And keeping the temp down is really important if you want long life. You also need regulations that will bitch slap manufactures that underrate components. Seriously if an LED light burns out inside 10 years you should be able to exchange it for two similar ones at the manufacturers expense.
  - pfdietz 3y ago
    Note sure about your second point there. An LED can be brighter if the diode is driven harder, right? But that can shorten its lifespan. Also, LEDs degrade over time, maybe it's better they just die before they get too dim. There's a tradeoff here between lifespan and user experience, and perhaps between lifespan and energy efficiency.
    - Gibbon1 3y ago
      Yes running the LED's close or over their rated current will notably shorten their life. It's generally true for all components. Lifespan quickly falls as you approach the max rated voltage, current, and temperature. And they compound. Thing to know specs for component lifespans at max rated conditions is often remarkably short, like 1000's of hours.
gooseyman 3y ago
I have LEDs everywhere. But the blue light fears some game seem at least worth looking into. I can’t help but thinking in 50 years people will be replacing phrases like “they used LEAD pipes” and “they sprayed loose asbestos into the attic” with something akin to “they used unfiltered LEDs”
- fsh 3y ago
  Sunlight has tons of blue light in it (color temperature of around 5800 K). We are going to be fine.
  - ajdude 3y ago
    The catch is that the sun sets in the evening while LEDs continue to shine blue light.
    - fsh 3y ago
      Most people turn off the lights at night.
      - sparky_z 3y ago
        But not at sunset.
        dingaling 3y ago
        The "cosy warm light makes us sleepy" meme seems to originate in the use of candles for nocturnal lighting prior to the availability of electricity. Their colour temperature wasn't a scientific choice.
- fanf2 3y ago
  All the LED lamps in our home use phosphor-coated LEDs, so they have built-in filters. We have a mixture of colour temperatures, daylight for wakefulness, warm for evenings. Screens are more of a problem than lamps.
Tijdreiziger 3y ago
Wow, crazy that people are still using incandescent bulbs in other parts of the world. Their sale was outlawed in the Netherlands years ago, everyone has switched to LED by now.
- jochem9 3y ago
  It's even an EU directive gone in effect more than a decade ago. Kinda weird to read about the LED revolution, when here it's already so commonplace. LED is pretty cool btw. So many cool designs and they do last much longer, contrary to many naysayers in this discussion. Only thing I don't like is that dimmers cost an arm and a leg, although recently I discovered that some bulbs have build-in dimmers, which switch to a different brightness when you quickly flick the bulb off and on.
kalleboo 3y ago
So when are you going to get rid of the concept of a “bulb”, which is particularly poorly suited to LEDs? I live in Japan and here it’s more common to install circular, flat LED fixtures in the ceiling[0], so they have a nice big metal heatsink. Never seen one fail (I’m sure they but nothing like the complaints I read about LED bulbs) [0] https://www.nitori-net.jp/ecstatic/image/product/8380185/838018501.jpg?ccp=1692086400&imwidth=415&imdensity=1&ts=20230810070908235 https://www.nitori-net.jp/ecstatic/image/product/8380185/838...
- midoridensha 3y ago
  The other thing you forgot to mention that's really great about these fixtures is that they fit into standardized sockets installed in the ceiling. Every apartment has the same ceiling sockets, so you can just buy one of these UFO-looking lights and install it on your ceiling in 10 seconds. Another interesting point for American readers is that these light fixtures belong to you. When you move into an apartment, there are no light fixtures inside, just those empty sockets I mentioned. (Or, if you're lucky, they'll have a cheap adapter and a regular edison-socket bulb, so you can see at night until you buy a real light fixture.) Just like the refrigerator, you have to bring your own. So you might as well get a nice one, because when you move, you can bring it with you.

14 points by thedday 3y ago

Does anyone else get whiplash when it comes to stories like this? Like you'll see headlines like Incandescent lightbulbs are officially banned from being Manafactured in America, and a week later when there's backlash to the ban you get headlines saying "no Democrats are not actually banning light bulbs and here's the source of that conspiracy theory" I saw this happen with the championing then claiming conspiracy on Gas powered stove bans. I saw this happen with championing then claiming conspiracy theory with banning gas powered cars by 2035 It's either a conspiracy theory that isn't happening, or it is happening and here's why it's a good thing

AlphaWeaver 3y ago

> LEDs are inherently dimmable. What? This isn't true. LEDs function using DC current, and are either on or off. "Dimmable" LEDs have chips in the bulbs that use pulse-width modulation (PWM) to turn the diodes on/off at a different rate to create the dimming effect. All incandescent bulbs are dimmable (on AC power) with no additional hardware other than the dimmer, which adjusts the input voltage to the bulb. Try to do this with a non-dimmable LED and you'll damage the bulb.

sourthyme 3y ago
Does it damage the bulb? I thought it just pulsed at a visible rate because it can't turn on consistently. Does rapidly turning off/on diodes reduce the life of a bulb?
gizmo686 3y ago
I've never done it with lightbulb level LEDs, but with circut type leds, I've gotten them dimmer by simply using an oversized resistor. Modern incandescent dimmers don't change the voltage. They just chop off portions of the AC wave, which produces something like a PWM wave, except the on voltage is not constant. I wouldn't want to try using this chopped up wave to power anything more complicated than a light bulb, but I don't see how it would damage an LED.
housemusicfan 3y ago
> which adjusts the input voltage to the bulb This isn't exactly true; no one has used a rheostat for dimming in like 50 years since that just wastes power. Most incandescent dimmers implement cycle chopping where they clip the beginning or end of the AC cycle (the type used depends on the implementation). Most commonly done using a diac or triac. Most "LED" in wall dimmers work this way too because you can't PWM dim on the other side of the power supply. This is also why in practice most LED bulbs are shit and even the best bulbs will visibly flicker whilst dimming. Yes LEDs are DC but as a compromise you have to implement dimming on the AC side because homes are wired with AC power.
- midoridensha 3y ago
  >Yes LEDs are DC but as a compromise you have to implement dimming on the AC side because homes are wired with AC power. This isn't universally true. Here in Japan, there's commonly-available LED ceiling fixtures (that look something like UFOs) that are dimmable with a remote control. They surely use PWM dimming, but it's done in the LED driver circuit; the fixture is getting the same 100VAC at all times. They also commonly have bluer and yellower LEDs, so you can adjust the light spectrum with your remote control.
  - housemusicfan 3y ago
    Yes but we are talking about bulbs (with Edison base) here not all-in-one fixtures. Yes, the same could be said about ceiling fans with built in remote receiver. The problem with these of course is you need the remote, and if you lose it you're out of luck. Some manufacturers make a little dock for the remote that would go in place of the light switch but I happen to think those are silly.
    - midoridensha 3y ago
      >Yes but we are talking about bulbs (with Edison base) here not all-in-one fixtures. Sure, but there's little difference between the two practically. Both of them are a light-emitting device, which plugs into a simple, standard socket on the ceiling. The ones I refer to are bigger, since they're meant to light up a whole room, but otherwise not really different, except that the standard socket is a lot better and easier to use (you just turn the fixture a quarter-turn to plug it in).
cwillu 3y ago
You absolutely can dim an LED via constant current control. Nobody does it that way at scale, but the LEDs work that way just fine. Source: I have a 5-way constant-current dimmer on a breadboard on my desk driving 5 CREE XLamp CXA Series LED's.
- wlesieutre 3y ago
  Nobody does it that way in screw-base retrofit bulbs, but there's a whole world of commercial lighting where constant current is pretty widely used. Drivers from vendors such as Tridonic https://www.tridonic.com/en/int/product-finder/led-drivers?filterParams=category%3DPC_LED_DRIVERS%26OPERATING_MODE%3DConstant%2Bcurrent https://www.tridonic.com/en/int/product-finder/led-drivers?f... Advantages include lack of flicker and more reliable LED boards (hardly any components except for the LEDs). Drivers still fail, but it's nice to have them be a replaceable part.

superkuh 3y ago

This might be true if everyone everywhere had good clean wall power. But since they don't, light bulbs, even LED bulbs, continue to be be a consumable object. The early claims of 50,000 hours never happened. They're down to claiming 10,000 hours and even this is only if you have perfect power. LED bulbs, at least in my apartment, actually last a shorter amount of time than halogen bulbs. At least halogens and incandescents were just a bit of glass and some wire. LED bulbs all have a circuit board with many components. If they're taking the place of incandescent and still being a consumable item it might be worse for the environment in the long run. At least incandescents using lots of power puts all the CO2 production in centralized locations that can be mitigated. LEDs environmental footprint is much more distributed. I'm not against LEDs light bulbs. I replaced almost all of mine with LEDs (though I have a stockpile of halogens for some uses). But they're certainly not going to change the world. Light bulbs remain consumable items.

shrubble 3y ago
It's planned obsolescence... there are parts in the drivers that if specified at a higher quality would last a lot longer. Cost of the additional quality would be a few cents.
matheweis 3y ago
> Light bulbs remain consumable items. And worse, they cost ten to twenty times as much as comparable incandescent bulbs, and they honestly don’t even last as long..
- Turing_Machine 3y ago
  That's not my experience. Even the cheap LED bulbs last far longer than incandescent ones.
- neongodzilla 3y ago
  And that is all entirely by design. Which means it can be changed. It is an issue with the companies, not the technology.
- atoav 3y ago

matheweis 3y ago

> An LED bulb provides the same amount of light as an incandescent while using 90 percent less electricity It’s a nice idea, pretty cool to light the entire house for pennies an hour. > and lasting 25 times longer I refuse to believe it. It may be possible but in practice even “quality” LED bulbs have either awful QC, intentionally engineered obsolescence, or both. About a year ago I replaced every bulb in my house with upper end Phillips LED bulbs, probably 50 or more of them. 20% of them have already failed.

Maxion 3y ago
Huh weird. I’ve been all led since like 2015 and I’ve had one bulb fail. I think I have around a hundred bulbs. All automated with home assistant. A few even on dimmers (though never dimmed).
- civeng 3y ago
  Agreed. You got a bad batch perhaps. When CA first required high efficacy lighting in kitchens via Title 24 in 2010, it was a train wreck, there were no good options and it got a bad name. Slowly they were required throughout new construction in tightening requirements every three years. Then technology caught up and the quality, flexibility, color and lumen options have far exceeded incandescent bulbs. Now people are doing things never imagined (as discussed somewhat awkwardly in the article) with LEDs spurred in part by legislation that pushed the technology from behind. Perhaps one of the few times technology didn't create the product and market. Legislation has created the market, and technology responded. Doesn't usually work out that way... Now however, the new control requirements are ridiculous and add far more cost than will ever be recouped. Most likely since these requirements were planned back when California used 90 percent more electricity for lighting, it seems rather useless especially in the face of our unaffordable housing. Hopefully I am wrong there but it seems we went a bit too far.
lame-robot-hoax 3y ago
I’ve lived in an apartment with all LED lighting for just over two years, and not a single light has ever gone out in my apartment. In the apartment I had before with non LED lighting (not sure what it was specifically, I had about 25-30% of my lights fail within 18 months.

zx8080 3y ago

Is it only me or is it the same for others that it's harder to read from paper (book or magazine or newspaper) under LED comparing to incandescent or halogen?

zx8080 3y ago
Probably it's due to a non-continuous spectre, however LEDs specs are known to promise it, somehow.

luxuryballs 3y ago

Does this mean we have to go back to candles and lamps to get the same ambiance? Will YouTube ban videos for DIY homemade lightbulbs? So many questions.

spaceman_2020 3y ago

While I understand their popularity and appreciate the far lower energy consumption, a part of me still wants incandescent bulbs back. They had a warm, inviting glow that’s entirely missing from LEDs

Tijdreiziger 3y ago
You can get that if you buy the ‘filament’ type LED bulbs
jochem9 3y ago
As the other commenter said, there are bulbs that mimic the filament of an incandescent bulb. On top of that there are designs that go beyond that. E.g. I have a bulb that has LEDs shine light through sculpted plexiglass, creating a beautiful pattern of warm light inside the bulb. This goes beyond what an incandescent bulb can do.
eternityforest 3y ago
I don't think incandescent was ever banned. They just have to meet a certain efficiency, and they are working on photon recycling incandescent builds that actually beat LEDs I think.

pfdietz 3y ago

The only complaint I have with LEDs is fixtures that don't allow adequate airflow. Heat buildup shortens their lifespan. On the plus side, they work much better outdoors than CFLs do.

Gibbon1 3y ago
Agreed. As someone that off and on designs electronics a standard light bulb + fixture is a bad match for LED lighting because it's not really designed for heat dissipation. And keeping the temp down is really important if you want long life. You also need regulations that will bitch slap manufactures that underrate components. Seriously if an LED light burns out inside 10 years you should be able to exchange it for two similar ones at the manufacturers expense.
- pfdietz 3y ago
  Note sure about your second point there. An LED can be brighter if the diode is driven harder, right? But that can shorten its lifespan. Also, LEDs degrade over time, maybe it's better they just die before they get too dim. There's a tradeoff here between lifespan and user experience, and perhaps between lifespan and energy efficiency.
  - Gibbon1 3y ago
    Yes running the LED's close or over their rated current will notably shorten their life. It's generally true for all components. Lifespan quickly falls as you approach the max rated voltage, current, and temperature. And they compound. Thing to know specs for component lifespans at max rated conditions is often remarkably short, like 1000's of hours.

gooseyman 3y ago

I have LEDs everywhere. But the blue light fears some game seem at least worth looking into. I can’t help but thinking in 50 years people will be replacing phrases like “they used LEAD pipes” and “they sprayed loose asbestos into the attic” with something akin to “they used unfiltered LEDs”

fsh 3y ago
Sunlight has tons of blue light in it (color temperature of around 5800 K). We are going to be fine.
- ajdude 3y ago
  The catch is that the sun sets in the evening while LEDs continue to shine blue light.
  - fsh 3y ago
    Most people turn off the lights at night.
    - sparky_z 3y ago
      But not at sunset.
      - dingaling 3y ago
        The "cosy warm light makes us sleepy" meme seems to originate in the use of candles for nocturnal lighting prior to the availability of electricity. Their colour temperature wasn't a scientific choice.
fanf2 3y ago
All the LED lamps in our home use phosphor-coated LEDs, so they have built-in filters. We have a mixture of colour temperatures, daylight for wakefulness, warm for evenings. Screens are more of a problem than lamps.

Tijdreiziger 3y ago

Wow, crazy that people are still using incandescent bulbs in other parts of the world. Their sale was outlawed in the Netherlands years ago, everyone has switched to LED by now.

jochem9 3y ago
It's even an EU directive gone in effect more than a decade ago. Kinda weird to read about the LED revolution, when here it's already so commonplace. LED is pretty cool btw. So many cool designs and they do last much longer, contrary to many naysayers in this discussion. Only thing I don't like is that dimmers cost an arm and a leg, although recently I discovered that some bulbs have build-in dimmers, which switch to a different brightness when you quickly flick the bulb off and on.

kalleboo 3y ago

So when are you going to get rid of the concept of a “bulb”, which is particularly poorly suited to LEDs? I live in Japan and here it’s more common to install circular, flat LED fixtures in the ceiling[0], so they have a nice big metal heatsink. Never seen one fail (I’m sure they but nothing like the complaints I read about LED bulbs) [0] https://www.nitori-net.jp/ecstatic/image/product/8380185/838018501.jpg?ccp=1692086400&imwidth=415&imdensity=1&ts=20230810070908235 https://www.nitori-net.jp/ecstatic/image/product/8380185/838...

midoridensha 3y ago
The other thing you forgot to mention that's really great about these fixtures is that they fit into standardized sockets installed in the ceiling. Every apartment has the same ceiling sockets, so you can just buy one of these UFO-looking lights and install it on your ceiling in 10 seconds. Another interesting point for American readers is that these light fixtures belong to you. When you move into an apartment, there are no light fixtures inside, just those empty sockets I mentioned. (Or, if you're lucky, they'll have a cheap adapter and a regular edison-socket bulb, so you can see at night until you buy a real light fixture.) Just like the refrigerator, you have to bring your own. So you might as well get a nice one, because when you move, you can bring it with you.