Understanding the Difference Between Watts and Lumens | Teems Electric

If you have bought light bulbs lately, you have likely been inundated with more info than you would ever want about watts, lumens and tone of light a bulb produces—and all that is on the box! Deciphering what type of light bulb you need for a particular fixture can seem rather complicated if you are not sure what these terms mean.

Determining watts, lumens and light efficacy is an important part of picking out the appropriate lighting for a room, but if you are not sure where to begin, we can help. Read on to learn about the details of watts, lumens and the efficacy of lighting so you can choose the best option for your home.

What Is a Watt?

A watt is a unit of power. It measures the amount of energy a lightbulb uses each second in a measurement called joules.

It is a common misconception that a watt translates to how bright a light bulb is, but that is not actually the case. While brighter lights do often use more energy, if you are trying to determine the overall brightness of a bulb, you will want to look into the lumens it produces.

What Is a Lumen?

A lumen is a measurement that translates to visible light energy—so the more lumens there are, the brighter a bulb.

While lumens used to not be advertised by light bulb companies, newer bulbs are often measured in watts and lumens so consumers can make the best choices about their home’s lightning needs.

What Is Light Efficacy?

Light efficacy refers to the lumens per watt of a particular bulb. This measures how well the light bulb transfers the energy (in watts) to light (in lumens).

For example, LED bulbs produce about 60 lumens per watt, which is why they are so much more efficient for household purposes than traditional, non-LED light bulbs. As a general rule, LED lights are more efficient than standard bulbs at a four to one ratio—so if you are trying to replace a standard 60-watt LED bulb, you will likely want to look at 15-watt LED bulbs to achieve the same lighting effect.

Do you need help with your commercial or residential lighting? We can handle it! Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you save on your energy bills.