When looking for LED bulbs, the three primary specs you will encounter are Lumens, Kelvin, and Watts. Despite the fact that most consumers are familiar with the term Watts owing to the ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, many are unsure of what Lumens and Kelvin refer to. Don't worry if it is the case for you as well. We have your back. We'll give you the dirt on these three words in this post.
Nice, huh? Now let's get started.
Lumens
Lumens evaluate a light bulb's overall output of light. In other words, it is a measurement of a bulb's brightness. The bulb will provide a brighter light if the lumen reading is higher, and vice versa.
When purchasing a new bulb, you should look at lumens rather than watts since lumens indicate how bright a bulb is.
Here are some general things to bear in mind while shopping for LED bulbs because the brightness of the lights placed in your home may vary significantly:
Choose an LED bulb that produces roughly 1600 lumens if you wish to replace a 100 watt incandescent bulb.
If you want to swap out a 75 watt incandescent bulb, search for an LED bulb that has around 1100 lumens.
If you want to swap out a 60 watt incandescent bulb, search for an LED bulb with around 800 lumens.
If you want to swap out a 40 watt incandescent bulb, search for an LED bulb with around 450 lumens.
Kelvin
The colour temperature of a lightbulb or other light source is expressed in Kelvin. Cooler conditions are those with Kelvin temperatures between 3600K and 5000K. Lower colour temperatures, on the other hand, are viewed as warm (2700k to 3000k). Cool light is better for visual work because it generates greater contrast than warm light. Warm light, on the other hand, is typically employed in living areas since it is more calming. A colour temperature between 2700K and 3600K is suggested for the majority of interior lighting applications. Having said that, you can think about cool white LED bulbs for job illumination. They could also be a better choice for garages or home offices.
Watts
Watts are used to measure power usage. In the case of incandescent lights, brightness and wattage are directly correlated. The latter rises in tandem with the former. However, since LED lights use a lot less energy than their predecessors did, you should measure a single bulb's overall output in lumens rather than watts.
Questions and Answers
Does a bulb with a higher colour temperature emit more light?
Kelvin is one of the most often quoted criteria for LED lights. Many consumers mistakenly believe that an LED bulb would be brighter if the Kelvin rating is greater.
But the output of light has nothing to do with Kelvin. It refers to the hue of light instead. Lumens, not Kelvin, are used to quantify total light output. To determine how bright an LED bulb would be, you must look at its lumen rating.
2700K to 3000K bulbs should be enough for the majority of lighting needs in a house since they serve to create a cozy and peaceful atmosphere. However, you might wish to utilize LED bulbs with a higher Kelvin value in some locations, particularly when you require task illumination.
A 5000K LED bulb will also often look brighter than a 2700K bulb, but this is because the former generates light with a stronger contrast.
How can I figure out how many lumens equal one kelvin?
There is no connection between these two readings. Therefore, it would be incorrect to assume that a specific Kelvin will equal a certain number of lumens.
Which is more brilliant, 2700 Kelvin or 5000 Kelvin?
Instead of brightness, Kelvin measures colour temperature. Lumens are the appropriate unit of measurement for brightness. A 5000K LED bulb will often look brighter than a 2700K bulb, but that is because of increased contrast.
