Kelvin, Lumens, Watts it all mean?

Getting the right lighting for your space can be confusing. This stunning Hudson Furniture chandelier above, while certainly an accent in any room, is an example of an ambient lighting fixture. There are 3 basic types of lighting that haven’t really changed in the last 10 years. Task – for reading or food prep. Ambient – general room lighting. Accent – highlighting art or washing a textured wall to draw attention to an area. HOWEVER, the language of lighting has changed. Watts is what consumers knew and came to understand. Since the change of lighting with efficacy regulations we now have terms that we aren’t familiar with – Kelvin and Lumens, Watts it all mean?

WATTs still tell us how much electricity a light consumes. Wattage use to tell us how bright a light was, this is no longer true. LEDs and compact florescent lights use far lower wattage than the old school incandescent bulbs and can be just as bright. In other words they provide the same amount of light but use far less electricity to do so. Today lumens are the gauge for brightness in a bulb.

LUMENS are a measure of brightness or the amount of light you get from a bulb.

KELVIN is a measurement for the color of the light. The lower the number the warmer the light. Most bulbs range from 2,500 being the warmest to 6,500 the coolest. For reference, sunlight is 10,000k and a candle burns at 1,900K.

The Lighting Research Center created this chart below to show how many lumens you need for particular tasks. As we grow older our eyes get weaker so you may have to increase the lumens for your use.

BEDROOM– 16×12		Lumens Needed
Bedroom General		1920
Reading		98
Writing		720
Closet		381
Dressing		1680
KITCHEN– 12×10
Kitchen General		4810
Counters – cutting		360
Range		450
Sink		450
Pantry		1080
LIVING ROOM – 15×12
Living room General		1430
Reading		330
Music		690
BATHROOM – 12×8
Bathroom General		3980
Toilet		45
Vanity		1680

Images borrowed from: 01 | 02 | 03