There has been much debate in recent years regarding snake lights. For years we used the same lighting set-ups for snakes as we did other reptiles. But now we know many kinds of snake lights are unneccessary.
If you have a pet snake that is naturally from a temperate climate (not too hot, not too cold) and your house stays warm year round, you probably don't need much in the way of lighting for your snake. Don't confuse temperatures with humidity, though. Different snakes need different levels of humidity, even if they are from the same climates.
UVB Lighting
With the exception of some uncommon pet snakes, UVB lighting is unneccessary for snakes. Will it hurt? No, and it may also increase their activity or coloration, but snakes can be perfectly healthy without the aid of UVB lighting.
Heat Lights
Depending on your snake's temperature requirements, you may or may not need heat lights to maintain appropriate temperatures. Many snake owners use undertank heating pads to keep the tank warm but it can be difficult to maintain and monitor proper temperatures with heating pads.
Heat lights also offer a more natural day/night cycle for your pet snake than heating pads. You can have two separate heat lights, each on a 12 hour cycle. Leave the daylight heat light on during the day and turn the night glo or nocturnal red light on at night. This will simulate a natural day/night cycle and is especially important for nocturnal snakes.
Incandescent heat bulbs come in a variety of wattages to provide your enclosure with the proper temperatures. The smaller your tank, the lower the wattage that is needed. You wouldn't want to put a ball python in a 10G tank with a 150 watt bulb. It would get much too warm in the enclosure.
Also be sure to place the heat bulb in a heat lamp with a ceramic socket, not just a work light from the garage. Heat lights with ceramic sockets are sold in any pet shop.
