DIY Lighting Tips - How To Compare Bulbs Lighting

Many people are confused about the true meaning of wattage. The term actually means the amount of power being drawn from the outlet, and not the actual light produced by the bulb. They think higher wattage means more light. This concept becomes a bit more confusing when we begin to look at fluorescents and LEDs.

The watts are a product of the volts multiplied by the current, which is measured in amps. It is true, however, that more power consumption will cause the filament in the bulb to burn brighter, thus producing more light.

If you want to get a better feel for the differences between incandescents, LEDs, and fluorescents, it would serve you better to look at the lumens, which measures the actual light production. A lumen is the amount of light that fill a square foot space that is one foot away. The manufacturers will typically label their products with this rating, as well as the wattage.

An example would be a 100 watt incandescent bulb, which will produce around 1600-1750 lumens. Various factors will contribute to the amount of lumens produced, including the coating on the inside of the bulb, the filament material and others. A CFL light may produce the same amount of light while consuming only 20 watts of power.

LED bulbs, which are gaining in popularity these days, are composed of several LEDs in the same housing. One of these bulbs that produces the same amount of light may only consume 2-3 watts of power.

These numbers prove why CFLs and LEDs are becoming more popular for home lighting. The fact that they are more efficient is the reason for this, even though they can be quite a bit more costly initially. At 10 cents per kWhr, your savings will total around $350 dollars over a span of ten years.

In addition to the cost and efficiency, there are several other differences to consider between these types of bulbs. They all have a different color temperature, and this could be a deciding factor for which one you decide to go with.

The human eye was designed to function at it's best in the spectrum of natural daylight, and to some extent, moonlight as well. The sun's surface temperature is about 6,000 degrees Kelvin. The white light of the sun is produced by several different factor, including the temperature, the relationship between the gases and the light wavelengths, and the effects of the atmosphere of the earth. The way this color combines with temperature is how we've come up with the term color temperature.

Incandescents are fairly close to simulating the natural sunlight that we see when we go outside, even though they tend to lean toward the yellow and bluish sides. This is impressive because they only maintain a temperature of around 2,700K. The mercury vapor in older fluorescent lights cause them to appear as more of a green tinted light. LEDs and CFLs have been able to produce light that most closely resembles that of the sun, with LEDs being the closest.

The color temperature will also be labeled on the package when you shop for light bulbs. This factor may be the difference between a comfortable reading light and one that gives you a headache from eyestrain. The light you choose will greatly affect your ability to perform certain tasks.

Finally, look at the bulb life ratings.

Bulb life ratings refer to how long a bulb is expected to last before burning out. Standard incandescent bulbs will last between 750-1,000 hours. If used for for four hours a day, at the 1000 hour estimate, it will burn out in about two thirds of a year. CFLs will last about 10 years, if used for the same amount of time, totaling between 6,000-15,000 hours of use. Used for the same amount of time, the average LED bulb, which will last between 50,000-60,000 hours, should not burn out for about 40 years.

There are many things to consider when choosing which type of bulbs to use in your lighting scheme. They include your budget, your electricity costs, and how often you would like to find yourself replacing light bulbs. If you can afford the initial outlay, you will actually be saving money with CFLs and LEDs.

         

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