Lighting 101

Last night I was at a ladies night out and got into a discussion with a friend of mine about lamps (technically known as portables).  She had been out shopping for a coordinating set of table and floor lamps, but became quickly overwhelmed by the price and lack of variety.  This started a conversation among the group about lighting in general.  I very quickly realized that very few people knew or understood the basics of lighting.  The bottom line is that no matter how expensive or stylish your light fixture is, the functionality is truly defined by what light bulb you use.  Most people think that the higher the wattage the bulb, the higher the light output thus creating more light.  That is the biggest misconception.  So let's go back to the basics on what you need to know when choosing a light bulb.

Light bulb 101


Types of Bulbs - 

incandescent,
traditional bulb

Compact Fluorescent Lamp

Halogen

L.E.D

Lumens - measurement of the flow of light from the bulb

Wattage - the consumption of electric power

Kelvin temperature - colour temperature (2700 warm incandescent, 5000-6500 daylight,   2000 candles or combustion)

So what do the above definitions tell us?  First, if we want a brighter light we need a bulb with higher lumens.  Second, if we want a light that is more efficient and uses less power, we need a bulb with lower wattage.  Third, if we want a nice warm traditional yellow glow, we need to use a bulb with a lower kelvin temperature.  And if we want a bright white light that gives a cooler feel, we need to use a bulb with a higher kelvin temperature that will mimic daylight.  The good news is that you can now buy incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and and L.E.D bulbs all with different ranges of lumens, wattage and kelvin temperature.  Essentially the sky is the limit.  If you go to your local hardware store and look at any name brand box you will be able to find all the above information.  So before you throw out your current fixture because it's not giving out enough light, visit the light bulb aisle, it's amazing what you might find.  

Of course if your light fixture or lamp is old, ugly and totally out of style, then that's another story!  Then it will be time to go shopping.