Over time the choices available when it comes to selecting light bulbs for your home or business have dramatically increased. You need to decide between the traditional incandescent or halogen lights or the trendier LED lights. If you decide on LED lights you also need to decide if you want warm white or cool white lights. The options can be so confusing. Today Sentry Electric is going to explain some of the benefits of the different types of light bulbs and types of lighting within them to help make your decision easier.
Which is Better; Incandescent, Halogen or LED Lights
Your first decision that you will need to make when purchasing light bulbs is whether you will go with the traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs or LED bulbs. LED lights have some amazing features that make them more desirable over traditional lighting. First, LED lights last much longer than the traditional light bulbs. Some are even advertised as lasting a decade or longer. The next benefit is that they are significantly more energy efficient. LED bulbs use up to 80% less power than their predecessors. We haven’t met a homeowner that doesn’t love the concept of lowering their utility bills! The third major benefit of LED lighting is that due to technology used to make the light bulbs they are far safer than incandescent and halogen lights.
Types of White LED Light Bulbs
If you decide that LED lights are for you, your next choice will be what kind of light that you want. You may have noticed LED light bulb boxes with a description saying 2700K to 3500K. What does that K stand for? Light is measured in Kelvins, which is where the K on the box comes from. All light can be measured in Kelvins. A candle flame is around 1850K while the moonlight is about 4100K. Traditional incandescent lights typically range from 2700K to 3300K. LED lights range from 2700K to 6500K. Within that range there are three different kinds of white that LED light bulbs will typically come in.
• Warm White: Warm white is 2700K to 3000K. Warm white is a comfortable white color that is typically the most popular in living areas and residential homes. It is reported that more than 95% of domestic lighting is warm white and most households opt to install 100% warm white in their homes.
• Natural White: Natural white is 4000K to 5000K. Natural white is sharper than warm white and replicates daylight. Natural light is very practical for bathrooms, pantries, and work areas.
• Cool White: Cool white is 5500K to 6500K. It is an artificially white light. Cool white light is frequently used in retail shopping centers and offices. It can be useful in work areas like laundry rooms and garages. Many people say that cool white is harsh looking.
Lighting Consultations, Fixture Installations & More in Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Southbury, Stamford, CT & Fairfield County, Connecticut
We hope that this overview of the lighting options available for your home or office is helpful. If you have any questions about what light bulb and color choice is best for your space, one of our technicians can come out and help you understand all of the different options. At Sentry Electric we want you to be happy with the finished product of our electrical work and we know that light bulb selection is a part of that process. Contact us today!
