In recent years, light bulbs have gotten better in terms of design and energy efficiency. Newer types of light bulbs include halogen incandescents, LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). These types of lights use less energy and last longer than traditional incandescent light bulbs, which can save money on energy bills. When shopping for a light bulb, there is more to consider than just wattage as other factors effect brightness, color and energy used.
Wattage and Brightness
Traditionally, people shopped for bulbs based on the wattage and thought that determined the brightness of the light emitted from the bulb. However, that’s not true. The wattage tells a buyer how much energy the bulb uses, not how bright is. For instance, a 100-watt light bulb is not necessarily brighter than a 40-watt light bulb. This is very relevant today as newer light bulbs use less energy, so wattage is not a reliable measure of a light bulb’s brightness.
To understand how bright a light bulb will shine, a buyer should look at the lumens. Lumens indicate the brightness, while watts indicate energy used to power the light bulb. For example, a standard 60-watt light bulb produces around 800 lumens of light. In comparison, a CFL light bulb that also produces 800 lumens only uses 15 watts to power it.
Because of the creation of energy-efficient light bulbs, buyers should now look at the lumens produced instead of the watts to determine the brightness of a light bulb, regardless of the type of bulb or the technology. A light bulb that produces 800 lumens will produce the same brightness no matter if it is an LED, CFL or traditional incandescent bulb.
Watts to Lumens – Energy Output to Brightness Produced
Here is a breakdown of traditional watt light bulbs and the amount of light they produce in lumens:
- 40-watt bulb produces 450 lumens of light
- 60-watt bulb produces 800 lumens of light (most widely used in households)
- 75-watt bulb produces 1,100 lumens of light
- 100-watt bulb produces 1,600 lumens of light
- 150-watt bulb produces 2,600 lumens of light
These measurements are based on traditional incandescent light bulbs.
Other Factors to Consider When Determining Brightness
Other factors to consider that affect the brightness of a light bulb include the optics, lens, reflectors and the fixture itself. An optic sits on top of the bulb’s lens to control the beam of light and can restrict some of the light coming through thereby dulling the bulb’s brightness. Reflectors sit on top of a light fixture and are also used to alter the beam of light coming from the bulb, which can also dull the brightness of the light depending on its application.
Another consideration is the height of the light itself. The higher up on any mount or surface the light sits, the less bright it will seem. When the light is placed lower, the light will be more concentrated making it seem brighter. Lastly, the color temperature of the light also affects a bulb’s brightness. Lights come in a variety of colors that can be found on the visible color scale. Red or orange lights will have less brightness than a light in the middle of the spectrum that shines in a white or light blue color. At the opposite end of the spectrum sits blue, purple and ultraviolet light, which hinder the brightness of a bulb.
You can find a wide range of light bulbs and lighting fixtures at Larson Electronics, including work area lights, explosion proof lights, energy saving LED lights and much more.