Interior lighting from simple oil lamps consisting of a saucer filled with fat and a wick remained virtually unchanged for several millennia — from prehistoric primitive lamps about 15,000 years ago until 1783 when a hollow circular wick surrounded by a glass chimney was developed providing brighter light with less smoke. Within the next hundred years came gas and kerosene lighting followed by the electric vacuum light bulb.

Incandescent lighting works by electricity running through a thin filament which offers resistance to the electricity. The resistance turns electrical energy into a glowing heat. The heat makes the filament white hot, and the white part is light.
But the purpose of the light bulb is to light, not produce heat. The problem with incandescent light bulbs is the heating mechanism wastes a lot of electricity (about 95% is used for heat, 5% for the light), making incandescent bulbs very inefficient.
Currently, lighting accounts for 25% of all our electricity and about 45% of the energy consumption in most commercial and institutional buildings. In the U.S., our lighting bill is more than $100 million a day — much of it wasted in heat.
Fluorescent lights are the most energy saving. A fluorescent lamp is a glass tube, filled with argon, or argon/krypton gas, and mercury. When turned on, the mercury vapors get ionized and emit ultra-violet (UV) radiation, striking the phosphor coating on the tube, causing it to glow — or fluoresce. That is the process that produces light. About 22% of the energy used by the lamp is converted to light.
As with incandescents, there are tradeoffs with fluorescents. For example, all fluorescents contain mercury and require an appropriate ballast. Additionally, it is well known in parts of the medical community that regular exposure to fluorescent lighting can cause or contribute to health problems — especially where there is more flicker and hum.
Effective lighting combines and balances natural light with artificial light. Synergized daylighting strategies have been shown to reduce energy usage.
Lighting techniques differ with age and can be optimized for older adults with aging eyesite using these easy to follow Principles of Lighting for Older Adults.