Many clients have asked us what LED bulbs they should be buying to get the quality of light they desire. Most are concerned with the light being too blue or too yellow. Nothing turns people off from switching to LED bulbs more then getting them turned on just to be showered in a hue they weren’t expecting (or desire).  Getting the right one is really all about the Kelvin rating of the bulb. 

Who’s Kelvin? -What, rather than who. The Kelvin Temperature Scale helps determine what the light will look like. It’s not the ambient temperature of the surroundings, but rather the color of the light that is produced by the bulb. The higher the color temperature, the cooler (blue) the light gets; and the lower the color temperature, the warmer (yellow) the light gets.  For example, a bulb with a color temperature of 5000K would display light closer to the brilliance of the sun (blue), than a bulb with a warm color temperature of 2700K (yellow). The 2700K bulb would be closer to the amber color produced by a flame.

What about the Lumens? -People often confuse Lumens with Kelvin/color. Lumens is another part of the character of the light source. It’s measuring how bright the bulb will be.  Lumens measure the amount of light your LED bulb puts out. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light will be.

…I thought that was Watts!? - Don’t get discouraged. People also often confuse Watts and Lumens. Watts measures the amount of energy the bulb uses to produce a light. A 60-watt incandescent bulb requires 60 watts of electricity and emits about 900 lumens, while an LED bulb requires only 8 watts to produce the same amount of light.

Here’s a handy chart to help you choose your LED bulbs.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. We would be happy to help.