Light bulbs are getting better, newer bulbs - like Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) last longer and use less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, saving you money on your energy bills.
What is LUMENS and WATTS?
For years, people have chosen light bulbs by the watt, learning over time about how bright a typical 40-watt or 60-watt bulb is.
But wattage tells you only how much energy a bulb uses, not how bright it is. With newer light bulbs designed to use less energy, wattage is no longer a reliable way to gauge a light bulb’s brightness. Luminous flux (Lumen/lm) is used to measure brightness.
Watts & Lumens: Understanding the Difference
WATT
The amount of energy a light bulb uses. The lower the watts, the lower the electricity bill CFLs and LEDs have a lower wattage than incandescent bulbs, but emit the same light output.
LUMENS
The amount of light emitted from a light bulb. Higher number of lumens means brighter light. If you’re trying to illuminate a large space, you need to use a light bulb with a high number of lumens, above 1,000lm.
Guide to Choose the Right Bulbs
Shape of the bulb - Some lighting fixtures require special shaped bulb in order to work or appear correctly.
Type of bulb base - Make sure to check the socket type, and size of your lighting fixture so that you know what light bulbs base you need.
Guide to Choose the Right Bulbs
Select the lumens and wattage. Never exceed the maximum wattage recommended for your lamp.
Light colour is measure on the Kelvin (K) temperature scale, Lower Kelvin number means more yellow light; higher Kelvin number means whiter.