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It’s hard to imagine life without light bulbs. Nowadays, the task of finding the right light bulb is usually more of a challenge. The information on the packaging gives more and more details for the light bulb, but very few people know what all these abbreviations actually mean. This leads to despair as to which bulb is the right one for the lamp at home.
To help you find the right light bulb for your home, we have summarised the most important criteria for buying light bulbs. So that you can find the right light bulb for your needs the next time you buy.
Summary
- Light bulbs and lamps give a room cosiness and are so versatile. Each room can be designed according to its own needs with the help of different types of light bulbs.
- The most important criteria for buying a light bulb is the cap type, voltage, brightness, colour temperature and consumption.
- Finding the right bulb for your lamp is not always easy. But once you know what you want and what to look for, it can bring a lot of light into your life.
The Best Light Bulb: Our Choices
Buying and evaluation criteria for light bulbs
To find the perfect light bulb for your needs, we have worked out some buying criteria that you should consider when buying. These criteria should help you choose the right light bulb. The criteria that should be used to compare the different light bulb models are:
Cap type
To ensure that the bulb fits into the corresponding lamp when it is replaced, it is important to choose the right cap type or base. A distinction is made between two types.
The first is a screw base, which is the case with E14 and E27 bulbs. The other is a plug-in base, which you will find in G9, GU10 and GU4, for example.
Voltage (Volt)
Volt is the unit for electrical voltage. The voltage does not indicate the energy consumption or power of the light bulb, but the voltage with which the electrical device functions. Lamps, computers and the like work with 230V, which also reflects the voltage from our power socket.
The indication on the packaging of a light bulb with 12V or 14V is no information about the energy consumption, but with which voltage the device works, in which the light bulb is used.
If you connect a light bulb with a low voltage to a circuit with more volts, the bulb will burn out. In this case the voltage is too high, which leads to an overload.
Brightness (lumen)
The brightness or light output of a light bulb is given in lumens (lm). For this purpose, the light output is given from 220 lm (low) to 1530 lm (high). The light output is sometimes more important than the wattage when choosing a light bulb. For example, energy-saving lamps shine brightly even with a lower wattage.
Colour temperature (Kelvin)
Kelvin (k) indicates the colour temperature of your light bulb. Therefore, the higher the number, the cooler the white. For cosy rooms, such as living rooms, a warm white of 2700k – 3300k is suitable.
For a cooler colour with more blue, choose 3300k – 5300k. For a daylight white, choose a bulb with over 5300k.
Consumption (Watt)
If your electricity bill is the most important thing to you, you should also look closely at the wattage, as this indicates the energy consumption. Many people mistakenly assume that the wattage reflects the brightness, but this is not the case.
Another important note is that there is a difference in wattage between ordinary incandescent lamps and LED’s, but without affecting performance. For example, a lamp that uses a normal 60 watt incandescent bulb only needs a 9-12 watt LED lamp. The following table will help you to get a rough idea:
| Incandescent bulb | LED |
|---|---|
| 15 Watt | 2 – 3 Watt |
| 25 Watt | 4 – 5 Watt |
| 40 Watt | 6 – 8 Watt |
| 60 Watt | 9 – 12 Watt |
| 75 Watt | 13 – 14 Watt |
| 100 Watt | 18 – 19 Watt |
Guide: Frequently asked questions about light bulbs answered in detail
Which light bulbs are suitable for which lamps?
What types of light bulbs are there?
With the energy-saving lamp, you have the advantage that it has a very low energy consumption and thus offers a good alternative to the conventional light bulb. The disadvantage is the waiting time until full brightness is reached and frequent switching on and off reduces the service life.
The halogen lamp gives you a very warm light and is easily dimmable. However, the energy consumption is higher and the life expectancy is shorter.
LED lamps offer you the advantage of low consumption, a long service life and are now available in almost all sockets and colours. The disadvantage, however, is limited dimmability.
What does a light bulb cost?
| Price range | cap type and bulb type |
|---|---|
| 0,68 – 3,40 € | E14 halogen, 18 – 65 Watt |
| 2,50 – 10,95 € | E14 LED, 2 – 5,5 Watt |
| 2,00 – 16,50 € | E14 energy saving lamp, 5 – 11 Watt |
How do I dispose of a light bulb?
LED’s and energy-saving bulbs often contain toxic mercury and fluorescent powder. For this reason, they should be disposed of at your recycling centre or at a nearby collection point in a supermarket or DIY store.
Conclusion
It is impossible to imagine a household without light bulbs and they are almost an everyday object. They bring light into the darkness and can be used in many ways thanks to the numerous variants that flood the market today. Due to increasing research, even light bulbs are becoming smarter and smarter. Many people find it difficult to keep track of all this.
For this reason, when buying your light bulb, you should know exactly for which room or lamp you need it and what exact needs or requirements it has to fulfil. To make buying easier, pay attention to the cap type, voltage, brightness, colour temperature and consumption. We have worked out these purchase criteria as important cornerstones for you.
Image source: Dragos Gontariu/ Unsplash
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