LED lighting comes in various types. These lights are designed to look like traditional bulbs and can be used to replace lights in lamps, ceiling lights, and other fixtures. The choice of LED light bulbs depends on the fixture type. You can also select decorative LED lights to enhance the appearance of your home.
Factors to Consider When Choosing LED Light
When selecting a light bulb for your fixture, apart from its shape and base, you must also consider factors such as brightness, wattage, lumens, and color temperature. Brightness, lumens, and wattage are all essential factors that determine the amount of light a bulb produces and the energy it consumes to create that light. Color temperature, on the other hand, is related to the kind of light that the bulb emits and the mood or feeling it evokes.
LED Brig
Task lighting such as kitchen lights, desk lamps, or reading lamps require brighter lights, while decorative lighting may not need to be as bright. Overhead fixtures should provide enough brightness to make the room comfortable. The brightness of an LED bulb is measured in lumens.
In the past, wattage was the measure used to determine bulb brightness. However, wattage only tells us how much energy a bulb uses, and traditional incandescent bulbs with higher wattage are brighter. The newer and more efficient Compact Fluorescent (CFL) and LED bulbs use much less energy, so wattage is no longer a reliable indicator of bulb brightness. Instead, look for the Lumen (lm) rating to determine the amount of light
a bulb emits or its brightness. This is the most accurate way to compare the brightness of bulbs to their incandescent counterparts.
Lumens
Did you know that lumens indicate the brightness of an LED light? To create a brighter light for your space, it's best to choose LED lights with higher lumen measurements.
The best part is that LEDs consume less energy than incandescent lights while generating comparable levels of lumens, making them a more energy-efficient option for your home.
What color of light do you want?
Selecting the right light appearance for your space can make all the difference. The Kelvin scale is used to describe light appearance. Lower degrees Kelvin indicate a warmer, yellow-white light, and higher degrees indicate a blue-white light. Warm white (2700 Kelvin) most closely approximates a traditional incandescent bulb and is favored in bedrooms and living rooms. It provides a warm and inviting light. Neutral White (3500 Kelvin) can be used in almost every space- it’s neutral. Office/work spaces will often utilize this color temperature. Kitchens, bathrooms, and workspaces may benefit from a cooler color temperature (4100-5000 K). Daylight White (6500K) can be used for task lighting, detailing, or many industrial applications.
Calculate your financial and environmental savings
LEDs are one of the more expensive bulb types on the market today, but recent advancements in LED technology have lowered the cost dramatically. To help reduce the upfront cost many electric utility companies offer rebate programs. LED bulbs are an investment and over their long lifetime, they will save you money due to their high energy efficiency. They have the lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of any bulb type. Our video explains the Total Cost of Ownership in more detail.
The best way to start choosing an LED
Start with one bulb. Or Two.
Now that you know what to look for, you’re ready to buy your first LED bulbs. For your first LED purchase, it’s okay to start small. Buy just one or two LED bulbs for a lamp or ceiling fixture. It is important to find the right replacement bulbs before investing in many bulbs for your entire home. If you are purchasing your business or responsible for that decision at your place of employment, consider our Buy ‘N’ Try program. It’s our risk-free program that allows commercial customers to test LED bulbs for the perfect fit before making a full purchase.
Evaluate your test bulbs
Do you like the quality of light the bulbs produce? Are they bright enough? Are they the right color temperature? Make notes on appearance, initial cost, energy used, and brightness. If you have any questions about your purchase, our certified Lighting Specialists are a quick phone, email, or chat away.
Replace the lights you use most to maximize savings
If you use a specific space regularly or if you keep a certain light on for long periods, you are spending more money powering those bulbs than others in your home. Target these areas for upgrades first to save money immediately.
The right LED for every part of the house
Room by Room
Let’s look at each area of the home to map out some top LED lighting choices. There is a wide range of options available from classic shape LED bulbs to LED strip lights and vintage-effect LED bulbs, that also give you more control over design and aesthetics.
Living Room
This is an area that demands a mix of warm and targeted lighting to help you relax with family and friends, watch TV series, films, and sports, read and listen to music, and so on. For that, the ideal balance would be for a range of bulbs with a warmth of 2200 to 3000 K, and right brightness of 400-900 lm for each light. Higher lm might be chosen if used with a dimmer.
Kitchen
The kitchen is a busy area and used at different times throughout the day so a dimming function would be handy to allow for bluer light in the mornings, focused on work areas to keep you alert, and a warmer color option for balance. A balance of downlights (often GU10s) and strip lighting for accent and highlights would work well. The range of bulbs could be 3000-4000 K and 400-1300 lm.
In conclusion, because lighting is an essential part of your home’s décor and its elegance, be sure to choose it well and to ensure that it suits your taste and provides you with sufficient light and psychological comfort.
