When thinking about lighting, light bulbs are always on top of everyone's head. It's a staple in every home, office, shop, and establishment, even in streets and parking lots! It's a basic necessity that one cannot live without. However, did you know that there are different types of light bulbs... Read More
When thinking about lighting, light bulbs are always on top of everyone's head. It's a staple in every home, office, shop, and establishment, even in streets and parking lots! It's a basic necessity that one cannot live without. However, did you know that there are different types of light bulbs that you can get? There's an E27 light bulb, B22 light bulb, GU10 light bulb, E14 light bulb and more!
Among all the other kinds of light bulbs available on the market, the most common is the E14 light bulb. It's present in almost every home and used in various applications. The E14 bulb is the smaller version of the similarly popular E27 bulb and is also known as the bulb with a small screw socket. Why E14? It's because it refers to the 14-millimetre socket.
What does E stand for in light bulbs?
Light bulbs vary in size, shape, colour and base. You'll see a LED candle bulb, warm white LED golf bulbs, a frosted small screw bulb, and the list goes on. On top of all the variations, one of the most common or constant things that you'll see is the capital letter E before the number. What does it stand for?
The letter E stood for Edison (as in Thomas Eddison), and bulbs with a screw base are included in this series. So, every time you see an E before the number, expect that the bulb will have a screw base like that of Thomas Eddison's light bulb. The number after denotes the size of the base, so while an E14 bulb has a 14-millimetre diameter, an E27 bulb has a 27-millimetre diameter.
How do I know what base my light bulb is?
While screw-based light bulbs are standard and widely used, there are other types of bases that are widely employed with various lighting fixtures. To know which light bulb you're using, first, identify if you have a screw type that has threads around the base or a pin type with two points of contact on the bottom. Once you determine which category it belongs to, measure the diameter of the screw base and measure the distance between the two pins, both in millilitres.
In addition to that, there are other types of bulbs that you may encounter, the twist and lock types. Under this category, there are two that are widely known, the bayonet and GU10. Similar to the pins, you also identify the types of the base by measuring the distance between the two points.
How does an E14 and E14 LED bulb differ?
Physically, there is no noteworthy difference between the two. It's not easy to spot since it looks similar. You'll only notice the disparity once you receive your electricity bill! A conventional E14 light bulb consumes a massive amount of energy, whereas an E14
LED light bulb use less for the same light output. In addition, an LED E14 light bulb can last for 4 - 15 years (depending on use), which is somewhere between 10,000 - 40,000 hours!
