Up until quite recently, all lighting systems used incandescent bulbs. When the bulb went out, we simply replaced it with another of similar wattage without thinking about it. Today, however, we are faced with a wide range of lighting products that offer numerous advantages. How do we decide which is the best? We might begin by examining the energy value chart on the lighting product labels. Read on to discover a number of standards you should consider when exploring your lighting options.
Brightness
Brightness is the amount of light projected by a lighting system. It is usually measured in lumens. There was a time when incandescent lights were the order of the day. Lighting was chosen according to the amount of watts in each bulb: the brighter the lights, the higher the wattage. Today, this quantification makes no sense. Advances in lighting technology are such that the energy consumption of a light bulb is no longer based on the amount of light it produces… and that’s a good thing! We can now choose the lighting technologies that correspond to our needs without worrying about blowing our energy consumption budgets. Discover the ways to measure light in your surroundings.
To help you with this transition, read the following equivalencies diagram:
The Colour or Temperature of Light or Light Appearance
We measure the colour and temperature of light in Kelvin, a unit of measure for temperature. When the measurement is high, this indicates that the light is cold and white. Conversely, as the number decreases, the light produced by the bulb is warmer and has a deeper yellow tint. Learn more on the various colours and temperatures of light.
Energy Used
Light output is measured to determine if a light bulb projects sufficient light to correspond to our needs. However, we must not forget to measure the amount of energy this bulb produces. Indeed, the higher the wattage, the higher the lighting bill at the end of the month. Learn more about ways to save on your monthly household lighting costs.
The following infographic gives you an indication of the diverse categories of lighting products available today and their technological advances over time.
No More Light Bulbs!
Today, we tend to install luminaires with integrated LED lights. Indeed, light bulbs will soon become things of the past! To select the luminaire that most suits your needs, examine the lighting product label’s energy value chart as you would a regular light bulb.
