You want to make sure you choose the best-led bulbs possible. But you do not want to buy something that will only break down or never last as long as you need it to.
LED bulbs are transforming the lighting market and quickly replacing your traditional light bulbs. With more options, better efficiency and cheaper price than anywhere else, they're the perfect choice for most residential and commercial properties. But as you begin to replace each of your incandescent or fluorescent bulbs with LED, you'll find that there's so much more to consider beyond simply brightness, color temperature and wattage. I've put together a list of things that you should look for in an LED bulb – features that will help you choose the best-LED bulb for use in your home or office, whether it's for general lighting or a specific application, like task lighting.
Choosing led light bulbs is a bit different than choosing other kinds of light bulbs because the options in today's market are endless. Even though LED lights are just now becoming a mainstream option, there's already been lots of time for companies to develop different kinds of products and introduce new products on the market every year.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been changing the way we look at lighting, and the facts speak for themselves. They’re more energy efficient and more durable than standard bulbs, stretching the life of a single bulb to over 20 years with their estimated lifespan of 50,000 hours, compared to only 1,000 hours with incandescent light bulbs.
LED light bulbs are quickly overtaking their incandescent and fluorescent counterparts. With the variety of options available on the market, it can be difficult to choose the best-led lights for your specific lighting needs.
5 Tips for Choosing the Best LED Bulbs
LED bulbs are all the rage and for a good reason. They're more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and last longer, meaning you'll be saving money on your electric bill and reducing your carbon footprint.
But before you run out and buy a bunch of LEDs, there are a few things you should know so that you don't end up with subpar lighting.
Here are five tips to help you choose the best-LED bulbs:
1. Know Your Watts
LEDs are measured in watts (W), but they're not as bright as incandescent or halogen bulbs with the same wattage rating. For example, a 60-watt equivalent LED bulb will be much dimmer than a 60-watt incandescent or halogen bulb. The brightness of an LED bulb is measured in lumens (lm). You'll want to use an LED bulb that has at least 800 lumens for every watt of power it uses — otherwise, it may not provide enough light for your needs.
2. Look For Durability
LED lights have a long lifespan, so they're a great option if you're looking for something that will last. They also tend to be more durable than other lights and they don't contain mercury, which makes them safer to dispose of.
3. Choose The Right Color Temperature
Color temperature describes how warm or cool light appears when compared to daylight. Most people prefer warmer tones, which can make rooms feel cosy at night or help reduce eye strain during work time. However, cooler tones may be better suited for kitchens and other areas where food preparation takes place because they produce more natural white light than warm-toned bulbs.
4. Know What You Need
Think about how much light you use in each room, and how much light you need for different activities. For example, do you work on a computer or in the kitchen? Do you read by candlelight? If so, then you might want to get extra-bright bulbs for those places.
5. Consider power draw
How much electricity does a bulb use? If you've ever looked at the wattage label on a light bulb package, then you know that wattage is one way to measure how much energy a bulb draws. But there's another number that's even more important: lumens per watt (lm/W). That's the amount of light produced by a bulb divided by its power draw in watts. The higher this number is, the more efficient a bulb is at using energy versus producing light.
