Lumens are the key to lighting. The brightness of a lit bulb or integrated LED lighting fixture is measured in lumens. You’re not the only one who thinks in terms of watts. Here are some pointers to help you understand the new approach to buying light bulbs. It explains what a lumen is as well as how many you’ll need to illuminate your kitchen, living room, or bedroom. We’ll explain how to calculate lumens, how to convert watts to lumens, and why all of these adjustments are beneficial.
What Exactly Is A Lumen?
The total amount of visible light emitted by an item is measured in lumens (lm). It is a widespread standard for projectors and light bulbs. In terms of bulbs, the brighter they are, the greater their lumen rating.
In the past, bulbs were priced according to their wattage, such as an 80W bulb. That number is absurd in the modern era of energy-saving bulbs and intelligent lighting since two bulbs with the same wattage may produce light of various intensities. As a result, there is a movement to rank light bulbs according to the amount of light they generate.
How Many Lumens Does A Lightbulb Require?
How bright you want your space to be, combined with other aspects like the size of your room, will determine how many lumens you need for a light bulb. For instance, more lumens are required in a large room than in a small one to produce the same impact and brightness as fewer lumens in a smaller space.
A single light source or several light sources may be used to provide the need for light. Hence, if you only had one light fixture, you would need a bright bulb with at least 1000 lumens. If you had four spotlights, each with 250 lumens, you would have a total of 1000 lumens.
Keep in mind that the target output is the peak level, which may be too bright in some situations. This is where dimmers and intelligent lighting systems come into play. You can easily control the brightness with smart lights and dimmers so that you may have a peak brightness that floods a space with light and then lower the brightness to produce a more soft and peaceful impression.
How Do I Calculate The Correct Lumen Required?
Now that you are aware of how crucial lumens are, you must figure out how to choose the desired lumen rating. It depends on two factors: the kind of space and its size.
There are spaces where you need to be able to see more of what you’re doing, such as an office, and spaces where you just want to provide a relaxing mood for your evening.
But, picking a low-lumen light bulb won’t seem comfy in a large living room. It will just be dark and unpleasant. You must determine the quantity of light per area, which is often expressed in either lux units or foot candles (one lumen per square foot). Even though the US typically uses feet as a measurement, lux is more frequently utilized. Consider lux to lumens calculator, that is surely a better method than any other method.
So, to calculate the overall luminosity required for your light, multiply the lux measurement of the room by the flat side of the room (in square meters).
Lumens Vs. Watts: Which Is Better?
Watts measure how much energy a specific light bulb will use, whereas lumens measure how brilliant a lamp is. In the past, people used to look at an incandescent light bulb’s wattage to gauge how bright it is. The new energy-efficient LED technology, however, makes it unreliable to quantify a light bulb’s brightness in watts.
This is the rationale for the widespread use of lumens today to gauge a lighting fixture’s brightness. Also, home improvement retailers are starting to mark the lights with lumens rather than watts.
This means that whereas watts are equivalent to energy use, lumens are equivalent to brightness. Energy-efficient lighting has a higher lumen output at a lower power wattage. Simply said, you must locate a light bulb that produces more lumens at a low wattage if you need more light but also want to reduce your energy bills.
The Bottom Line
With nearly little heat output and a propensity for thriving in cold climates, LED bulbs are quickly gaining the title of “coolest light bulb of all” in literal terms. The level of energy, and productivity of your team are all directly impacted by the office lighting in your workstation.
If the lighting is too low, your staff will get drained and irritable. On the other side, too bright lighting may strain their eyes, possibly even resulting in migraines, and will interfere with their body’s normal circadian cycles. So, this blog surely help you to get the perfect light setting, whether it be workplace or your home.