Lumens! Watt?

At the end of our previous blog article we raised the subject of lumens as the best way to compare the output of your light bulbs. Electric light bulbs have always been marketed and purchased on the basis of the wattage. So we have always judged them on the amount of power used rather than the light given out.

Nowadays with the cost of energy rising we have become more conscious of the power these old lamps use. New technology like Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and LED allow us to light our homes and businesses for a fraction of the cost. But realistically there is no direct comparison of equivalent wattage between the technologies. All we really care about is whether it will give the same light as the bulb we currently have? This is where lumens come in.

Lumens are a measurement of light output telling you how bright your new bulb will be. The higher the lumens the brighter the bulb.

New products coming on to the market will now have their lumen output noted on the packaging enabling the consumer to compare products. Brand to brand the lumens may differ even when they may state the same wattage. So check those lumens.

As a guide incandescent 240v GLS lamps used to emit approximately the following lumens.

• 25w = 225lm
• 40w = 410lm
• 60w = 700lm
• 75w = 930lm
• 100w = 1330lm

These can be used as a guide when buying an LED or CFL replacement for incandescent lamps with either bayonet or screw caps.

I hope this will make buying the correct replacement lamp a little easier.
So as an example, if you’re looking to replace your 60w bayonet light bulb you’ll need :
MEGAMAN LED Classic 11w Dimming B22, Warm White 2800k