Light up the Lumens
How bright is a light bulb really? With incandescent lighting it’s fairly easy, choose a 40, 60 or 100 watt bulb and we all have a rough idea of how bright the bulb is. But now you can choose from compact fluorescents and LED’s it’s not quite as simple.
A watt is a measurement of energy consumption, a lumen is a standard unit of light as seen by the human eye. The lumen output will tell you how bright something is.
The lumen output is now included on most lighting products packaging.
Take a look at our easy guide to calculate the approximate total lumen output of your fitting.
Bulb Efficiency
| TYPES OF BULB | BULB EFFICIENCY (LM/W) |
| Standard Incandescent | Approx 15Lm |
| Halogen Lamp | Approx 25Lm |
| Compact Fluorescent (CFL) | Approx 50Lm |
| LED | Approx 80Lm |
Energy Efficiency
From March 2014 all lighting will carry an energy rating label in line with EU Directive 874/2012.
The energy rating A++ (very efficient) through to E (least efficient) is based on the lumen output and the wattage consumption.
A guide to current lamp types and their energy classes are as follows:-
| LED Lamps | CLASS A – A++ |
| Compact Fluorescent | CLASS A & B |
| Halogen Lamps | CLASS C & D |
| Incandescent Lamps | CLASS E |