This wastes more energy in the production of light and the fixture is often bulky and more visible than desired. Because halogen bulbs produce so much heat, they are popularly mounted in a 120V light bar that also employs an air circulation system to cool the bulb and surface of the cabinet. The manner of which manufacturers have applied these technologies to under cabinet lighting products reflects the properties of each source. Unfortunately, they still consume the same amount of energy as incandescent lights, and burn even hotter. They are compact bulbs that last longer making them an ideal bulb to mount under a cabinet. In order to ensure the glass does not melt, it must be thicker to handle the increased heat load.įor several reasons, halogen lights have been popularly used as an under cabinet light source. The halogen helps to recirculate burnt tungsten atoms back to the filament making it last longer. This allows for the glass to remain closer to the filament without melting thus allowing for the size of the bulb to be more compact. The only difference is that the glass bulb that encases the filament is filled with gas from the halogen group. Halogen lights work similar to incandescent lights in that they produce light by burning a tungsten filament when connected to a power source. Before examining under cabinet lighting products, one should understand the fundamental characteristics of each type of light source.

Halogen under cabinet lighting