What Is A Lumen?

There are different types of units for measuring light with watts, lux and lumens being some of them but are often confused with each other, here are the definitions of each:

• Lumen – this is the measurement for how bright a light source is at emitting light to the human eye. In simple terms, lumens indicate the brightness of the light.
• Watt – this is the measurement of how much energy the light source consumes. The lower the watt number means the more energy efficient the light bulb is as it uses less electricity to create light. 
• Lux – this is the measurement for the light level intensity or how much light is illuminated in a specific area.

Lumens and Lux

With lumens and lux, 1 lux is the same as 1 lumen per metre square for the light in the specific area. Lux is the amount of light that is outputted into space while lumens is the brightness of this light. 1000 lumens located on a one square meter zone will have an illuminance level of 1000 lux. If 1000 lumens is used but the light spreads 10 square metres then the illuminance level is only 100 lux. 

Lumens and Watts

Watts is how much electricity the light uses and lumens are the brightness level of the light. Energy efficient lights will have a lower wattage rate but can still provide high lumen levels. This means that they might be slightly more expensive to purchase but higher energy star rating lights will use less energy and cost much less in the long term but still provide proper light brightness. 

When deciding on what type of lights will be installed around the home consider the following:

• Look for lumens – look at the lumen level of each light to see how bright it will be and if it will suit your brightness needs.
• Lifespan – the lifespan of lights needs to be considered as this will help with saving money and time. Lights that are more expensive to purchase, often due to being energy efficient, will last much longer than cheaper variants of lights. Commit to purchasing energy efficient lights as they will use much less electricity and not need to be replaced as frequently which will save costs drastically.
• Light temperature – lights can produce a cool white or a warm white. Cool white light is often neutral while warm white light is often softer, deciding which suits the specific room is important.
• Light bulb types – either LEDs, fluorescent or halogen lights will need to be considered and it is highly recommended to purchase and use LEDs as they have many advantages over the other ones, as shown below: