Do you know how to take advantage of your lighting? Learn how to optimize the quality of light in your home. We show you which is the right bulb for each room and each situation.
Light affects sensations and you can create different environments with it. In each area of your home, depending on the activity you usually do, you must create the appropriate space.
In this post we are going to see the type of bulb that interests us most to achieve the desired atmosphere. To do this, we are going to see the different characteristics of LED bulbs and, from them, we will build a small guide that will help us illuminate the house.
COLOR TEMPERATURE
The unit that measures color temperature is degrees Kelvin (K). This measurement gives us an idea of the tone of the light emitted by the bulb. In this way, the more degrees K, the whiter the light will be. On the contrary, a bulb with less K will emit light in more yellowish tones.
Depending on the number of K that a bulb has, we will distinguish between warm, neutral or cold light.
- Warm:
It emits light in colors that range from amber to reddish tones. Ideal for lighting rooms in which we seek to relax and rest. With these tones we simulate natural light at dusk. Moment in which the brain begins to deactivate and prepares for the night’s rest. They allow the eye to relax and the brain to disconnect, inviting tranquility and rest. As you can imagine, this tone of light is perfect for conditioning bedrooms, living rooms and, in general, rooms in which we seek relaxation.
To achieve this relaxed atmosphere, the ideal is to opt for bulbs with temperatures between 2,200 and 3,700ºK.
- Neutral:
They are intermediate shades, perfect for rooms in which we seek a middle ground between rest and activity. We will use neutral light bulbs in areas such as dressing rooms, dressing tables…
Neutral bulbs are those that are between 3,800 and 5,000ºK. The color of their light is similar to that of the sun at midday and they adapt well to most of the activities that we want to do.
- Cold:
In this group we have bulbs with more than 5,000 degrees Kelvin. This light stimulates brain activity, creating the opposite sensation of warm light. With it we will see clearly in the work areas. The logical thing would be to use it in areas such as the kitchen or bathroom.
The bulb box itself provides us with the temperature data. In the case of our website (link) you will find it in the product technical sheet.
CRI
The CRI (color rendering index) indicates the ability of a bulb to reproduce natural colors. This means that the higher the CRI, the more faithfully the colors will be represented to our view. The CRI is measured in a range from 0 to 100. A value of 60 to 80 is considered good. From 80 to 90 Very good, and finally excellent if it is above 90.
POWER
This is the measurement in watts (W) that we are used to handling, although I take this opportunity to clarify a couple of details.
W is a measure of power, not luminosity.
In the past, in the days of filament bulbs, we could establish a relatively direct relationship between the number of watts and the luminosity of a lamp. Currently, this has changed andthe intensity of the light not only depends on the power but also on the efficiency of each lamp. Thus, we find that LED bulbs need around 8 times fewer watts than incandescent bulbs to achieve the same light. Even within LED bulbs, there are different levels of efficiency. That is, we have more efficient LED lamps that illuminate better than others with the same number of watts. The measurement that will determine the efficiency is the lumen/watt (Lm/W) and what it tells us is the number of lumens that we obtain from each watt consumed.
LUMEN vs LUX
As we have just anticipated, two very important measurements that we have to understand to achieve optimal lighting are lumens and luxes.
The lumen is the unit of the International System of Measurements that is used to measure Luminous Flux. It’s likethe total ability of a light bulb to illuminate.
TheLux, on the other hand, is the unit that measures the amount of light that exists at a specific point.
Likewise, let’s explain it in other words:
With lumens we measure the light power of a luminaire. If for a bottle of water the content is measured in liters, for a light bulb it is measured in lumens. Therefore, the more lumens we have available, the better lighting we will obtain at the points to be illuminated. The illumination at a point is measured with a lux meter and is expressed in luxes.
The luxes achieved will depend, a priori, on the number of lumens, but other factors will also have an influence, among which the distance of the light point from the area to be illuminated, the opening angle of the luminaire and the areas of shadow or reflection where the light hits. Other factors also influence such as the composition of the area to be illuminated, the color on which we project the light… However, as we are simplifying and we want it to be well understood, we are going to take into account only the distance and the opening angle and, As a recommendation, we mention that if the surface we are going to illuminate has light colors or is a surface that produces glare, we will slightly reduce the light flux.
From this reflection we obtain two conclusions:
- By increasing the number of lumens of the light source, the number of luxes will increase (as long as the rest of the factors do not change)
- As I move away from the light point, although the number of lumens will be the same, the luxes in the area to be illuminated will decrease
If this has been made clear, we can establish a recommendation of the necessary luxes for each of the rooms in a house and an estimate of the lumens that we will need. To do this, we will take into account the distance of the light point and the opening angle of the luminaire. The opening angle is, therefore, another important piece of information that we should look at on the box before buying a light bulb, lamp, focus…
RECOMMENDED LIGHTING FOR A HOUSE
We start from the following premises:
- House with standard ceilings, at a height of between 2.2 and 2.5 meters
- We will calculate the distance to the point where we need the light. That is to say: if I am reading in an armchair, I estimate that I have the book at a height of approximately one meter. Because of this, to calculate the distance from the ceiling to the book, I deduct one meter from the distance from the floor. Example: if the light point is 2.5 meters high and the book is 1 meter high, I consider a distance of 1.5 meters.
Once this is clarified, we are going to see how many luxes I need to illuminate my house and how many lumens are needed to, taking into account the distance and the opening angle, obtain the necessary luxes.
To do this, we are going to paint in red the luxes that we need to illuminate each area and, in yellow, the luxes that we are going to achieve through a specific luminaire for a specific activity (Ex: in the living room we will have a reading area that will have with a lamp that increases the number of luxes, but only in that specific area).
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Kitchen:
Let’s start with the kitchen. In it, we need to get light points of 300 Luxes that we will achieve according to the height of our ceiling with the Lumens that we find in the table. Remember when doing your calculations that we do not count on the first meter of the ground upwards, since we are interested in the lighting at the height that we are going to take advantage of.
An idea for this area could be a 20W 6000ºK LED ceiling light. There are different types and models, we have opted for este.
In addition to the main light, in the kitchen you will need a work light to carry out your culinary preparations. For this area you will need an additional luminaire, although with fewer lumens. Remember that distance affects and this light will be much closer.
A good solution for this area could be a 6W 6000ºK ceiling lamp.
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Living room:
Let’s continue through the living room, we are going to have two different points of light.
On the one hand, the main luminaire will range from 450 Lm to 700 Lm depending on the height of your ceilings.
as you can see in the table. We have thought of a lamp with a single bulb to illuminate your living room. Within our range, the G45 7W span>3000ºK would be the one selected.
On the other hand, you probably have some area in your living room where you usually sit and read. In it you will need an extra light point. In the photograph you see a lamp pointing at the sofa. In it you will need a bulb that is approximately 800 Lm. The 9W R63 bulb.
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Dining room:
From the living room to the dining room, with a single point of light centered on the central table that we use for meals. The luminaire you need ranges between 2000-3000 Lm.
This 24W Nickel Circular LED Ceiling Lamp fits perfectly.
In transit areas, such as the common hallway that connects the rooms of the house, you will need fewer Lumens.
We think that a apply, it will be your best ally.
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Bathroom:
We find the bathroom, where, as in almost all areas of the house, we will once again distinguish two points of light. The first of them, the main light, focused on giving us clarity throughout the entire area. A 18W downlight could be your choice.
The other light point will be where you do your tasks in the bathroom. The chosen place is usually above the sink where we have a mirror. At this point we do not groom, comb our hair, put on makeup, shave… that is, we need to achieve a good concentration of light.
Our idea, a led strip a>.
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Bedroom:
The master bedroom, although most of the time we spend in it is to rest, we will need two different lights. The main one, to which we will not dedicate many lumens, and the support one, on the bedside table, to make it easier for us to have to read something from bed or perform a task.
For the main light you could place a amber filament bulb< /a> that gives your bedroom a special atmosphere.
As a backup light you will need something more powerful for that lamp on your bedside table.
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Bedroom 2:
Finally, we have thought about the children’s room, it could also be a study room.
In this case, on the desk, where the children or we ourselves study, we recommend a luminaire, which allows us to reach 600 lux at the indicated point. We will need an average of 700Lm to achieve this.
Within the wide variety of bulbs that exist, we choose this one for a desk.
Whether we have a children’s room or a study room, this environment requires a lighting fixture that is a little more powerful than our bedroom. Specifically, double the lumens in the main luminaire. If you used a 6W bulb in the main bedroom, here you will need approximately a 12W bulb.
We hope this post will be of great help to you and from now on you will be able to interpret the lumens of each bulb much better to illuminate your home with LED lighting, creating different spaces, getting the color temperature right and choosing, of course, the right bulb for each case.