Critical rules you should know when picking out LED fixtures or light bulb replacements
BROWN BIRD DESIGN Important terms to keep in mind when shopping for LED lights. The retail price of LED light bulbs has dropped roughly 90 percent since their early days. LEDs use 80 to 90 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last for years, saving you big cash and trips up the ladder. But know your terms. Replacement wattage: It’s the wattage of the incandescent bulb that the LED is meant to replace — a rough brightness equivalency. Wattage: This is the actual power used by the LED bulb. A typical household LED uses about 8 to 20 watts, so if a fixture says 60W max, you have plenty of capacity to spare. Lumens: It’s the real measure of brightness. The more lumens per watt, the more energy efficient the bulb is. CCT: Correlated color temperature is measured in kelvins (K) and describes the tone of light emitted. In general, use “warm” or “soft” white bulbs (3,000K or below) for bedrooms and living rooms; “cool” white (3,100 to 4,500K) for bathrooms; and “daylight” (above 4,600K) for outdoors or workrooms. Dimmable: An LED bulb will work with a dimmer switch only if the package explicitly says so. CCT: Correlated color temperature is measured in kelvins (K) and describes the tone of light emitted. In general, use “warm” or “soft” white bulbs (3,000K or below) for bedrooms and living rooms; “cool” white (3,100 to 4,500K) for bathrooms; and “daylight” (above 4,600K) for outdoors or workrooms. Dimmable: An LED bulb will work with a dimmer switch only if the package explicitly says so.
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