 They require no external regulating equipment, have low manufacturing costs, and work equally well on either alternating current or direct current.As a result, the incandescent bulb became widely used in household and commercial lighting, for portable lighting such as table lamps, car headlamps, and flashlights, and for decorative and advertising lighting.Incandescent bulbs are much less efficient than other types of electric lighting, converting less than 5% of the energy they use into visible light.