What you need to consider when choosing light bulbs for your home

Deciding on the right bulb for your home can be a bit hectic as there are so many to choose from, and if you are not careful you might end up picking the wrong one.

Light bulbs which are also known as electric lamps are usually used to light up homes, offices, the environment, etc.

Whether you are shopping for a bulb for a new home or you just want to change the bulbs in your home, you have to keep in mind some of these factors.

1. Light Bulb Shape and Base

Shape: Light bulbs tend to be described by their designated shape name, such as globe, reflector, or spiral. Light shapes are denoted with a letter number. The first letter indicates the bulb’s shape; the number is its diameter at its widest part while the last letter designates bulb length.

Base: There are two main light bulb bases: pin base and screw base. It is important to see which base is most suited to connect to the socket of your lighting source. Choosing the correct bulb base type is vital along with its size to ensure compatibility with a fixture. Consider the shape of your light bulb to make sure it will fit and function properly in the fixture.

2. Watts and Lumens

Watts measure the amount of energy required to light the light bulb, whereas lumens measure the amount of light produced. The more lumens produced by a light bulb, the brighter the light. When selecting an energy-efficient light bulb, look at the lumens, rather than watts.

3. Colour Rendering Index (CRI)

Colour rendering describes how a light source makes the colour of an object appear to the human eye. A typical comparison is to daylight. Light sources with a CRI of 85 to 90 are considered good at colour rendering. Light sources with a CRI of 90 or higher are excellent at colour rendering.

4. Colour Temperature

Colour temperature is measured in degrees. The colour temperature of a light bulb describes how the light appears when an illuminated bulb is looked at directly by the human eye. Light bulbs that produce a yellowish-white light may have a colour temperature around 2700K, producing a “warm feeling.” As the colour temperature increases, the yellowish colour of the bulb decreases, and the white or “cooler” colour increases. At 5000K or higher, the light colour appears bluish-white.

5. Voltage

For maximum efficiency, the voltage on the light bulb should match the supplied voltage of your fixture. It’s important to be as precise as possible with voltage, as low voltage draws more current and high voltage can reduce the life of your bulb.

As simple as light bulb functions appear, it can be a little bit tricky, but if you consider the above factors, you can't go wrong with choosing the right light bulb.

Have you ever faced a challenge with getting the right bulb? Tell us your experience in the comment section.

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