Lumens Vs Watts: What to check when buying a light bulb for your home?
Everything we do revolves around energy consciousness and green living, so when lighting up your house, that attitude should be reflected which in turn is beneficial to you as well as the environment.
Lumens Vs Watts
In the past, we used to look for Watts when buying a bulb. The lesser watts we use, the lesser energy and electricity consumed but when doing that, we compromise on the light we get. That’s where Lumens comes into play.
Lumens is the measure of light we get from a bulb while Watts is the energy consumed by a light bulb. That’s about as much technical details you need to concern yourself with when buying a bulb for home. The brightness you require in your rooms may vary, so you can purchase bulbs of varying lumens. Getting bulbs based on lumens would give you more light and function efficiently under reduced energy and cost, unlike bulbs with higher watts. The next time you go to the market, check for the lumens on a bulb instead of the Watts.
Types of bulbs and their efficiency
From the traditional Watt bulb, we have come a long way through CFL and LED bulbs. Both these are energy savers but the LED bulbs are much more efficient than CFL.
CFL bulbs or compact fluorescent lamps were first used to replace incandescent lamps since they gave the same amount of light as an incandescent but consumes only one-fifth to one-third of the power. These bulbs also have a better life than traditional bulbs. But, CFL use toxic mercury in them which makes them an environmental hazard. Thus, an alternative and a better functioning material in the form of LED lights took root.
LED lights are light emitting diodes that uses less than 75% energy than an incandescent bulb and lasts up to 25,000 hours. You can select an LED based on the energy star requirements for your room and it is guaranteed to stay put for a long time. There are semi-conducting chips inside the LED bulbs that are capable of producing 30 to 150 lumens each. Thus, as a whole, they provide a higher lumens with lower wattage.
Factors to Check When buying Light bulb
Now that you know what types of bulbs there are and their efficiency, it’s a cut out process when you go shopping for bulbs. Nevertheless, here’s the list that you need to consider.
- Lumen Output: A bulb with a high lumen output at a low wattage will maximize energy savings.
- Temperature: Colour temperature, which is given in Kelvins, is a big factor to consider, if for instance, you want to light bulbs to give the warm glow of an incandescent lamp. The Kelvin will be specified on the box. The standard for warm light is 2,700 K, while Cool white or ‘day light’ are generally above 4,000 K.
- Energy Star Rating: Check for energy star ratings that is given on the box. These bulbs are better suited to minimise energy consumption, saving your money as well.
- Lamp Lifetime: Lamp lifetimes can differ so you should check the longevity of the bulbs you buy. If you want a long lasting bulb, then don’t shave off the price too much as the money you save will not amount to the lifetime you get from the bulb.
- Colour Rendition Index: The maximum CRI value of a bulb is 100 and this refers to natural lighting and incandescence. If the CRI rating of a bulb is closer to 100, then it’s has a better ability to show true colours to the naked eye.
