Which bulb should I choose for my light fixture?

When you buy a light fixture, you also have to think about the light source you want to associate with it, and you can quickly get lost in all the possible choices of bulbs. What type of bulb, what power, for what final result? If you want to see things more clearly and choose the bulb best suited to your needs, this little practical guide is for you.

To begin, what type of bulb should you choose?

There are roughly 3 types of bulbs today:

• Incandescent bulbs, with their filaments that heat up (and break)
• Compact fluorescent bulbs, which take ¼ hour to light up
• And finally the LEDs !

To put an end to the suspense, incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs are used less and less and are in some cases banned, and rightly so. An incandescent bulb is 90% heat for 10% light, compared to 50/50 for LEDs. For the same final brightness, the latter are therefore 10 to 12 times more efficient and less energy-consuming. In addition, LED bulbs have a much longer lifespan than other types of light sources.

In short, there is no doubt about the choice, so make sure you buy an LED bulb, the planet and your electricity bill will thank you.

What bulb power to choose?

When we talk about power, we often think of Watts and therefore of electrical power. In fact, the important value to look at when choosing a bulb is the flux, we are talking about light power which is expressed in Lumens.

But then how to choose this light power? This depends on the room in which you want to place your light, the size of this room, and the number of lights present in the room.

To determine the number of lumens your bulb will need, we start from Lux, a unit which is equivalent to lumen/m2, and we apply this simple formula:

(lux required by the room (see table) x surface area of ​​the room (m2) ) / number of light sources = lumens required / source

For example: a room needs around 200 lux (maximum) to be properly lit while remaining pleasant. If it is 15m2, and there are 3 light sources inside (2 bedside lamps and a central pendant light). We will therefore need 3000 lumens (200 lux x 15m2) which you distribute as you see fit between the different sources, for example 500 lumens for each bedside lamp, to be able to read correctly and 2000 lumens for the central suspension.

If you are not a fan of calculations, here is an approximate table of the power required for your bulbs depending on each room:

Once you know the light output you need for your fixture, look for the bulb with the lowest electrical wattage possible. You will therefore have the bulb with the best light efficiency (in lumen/Watt).

Be careful, an efficient and well-made bulb will necessarily be a little more expensive, this is normal, but once again, it consumes less electricity and will fulfill its function much longer. The game is worth the candle !

What temperature ?

The temperature of the light will directly set the tone for the atmosphere you want to create in a room. This temperature is expressed in Kelvin in a range of 2000 K for the warmest light and 9000 K for the coldest. Very often, we choose this temperature based on what we are doing in a room.

• If you want so-called “work” light, promoting your concentration, in an office for example, favor cold lights between 5000 and 6500 Kelvin (beyond that you will be using very cold and blue industrial lights which we do not recommend). at your place).
  

• From 3500 to 5000 K , we are in the light temperature range close to that of everyday life, which allows us to adequately illuminate a task while providing a pleasant atmosphere, it is this temperature range that we recommend for example for lighting fixtures. installed above a dining table or kitchen worktop.
  

• If you want warm ambient light, in a living room for example, prefer temperatures ranging from 2000 to 3500 Kelvin . This can be accompanied by a colder, more focused light to read your favorite book in a comfortable armchair. Find our advice for choosing your lighting according to its usefulness and the room you want lit.

Note that very often, the temperature and the light output of the bulbs offered by major brands are correlated. The colder the temperature, the more powerful the light will be, to illuminate properly and enable precise work. On the contrary, warm light will often be very weak, around 300 lumens maximum, helping to create a warm and subdued atmosphere.

Anecdotally, tastes in terms of temperature and light power are very cultural. For example, Scandinavians will prefer very warm and not very powerful lights, going hand in hand with the light they receive from the sun, which is very low and not very powerful at home. On the contrary, countries in the Middle East will prefer fairly cold and powerful light, close to that they find during the day.

You are an expert in choosing your bulbs! If, however, any doubt persists, or you have a question about a particular project, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to help you choose the best bulb to accompany our lighting fixtures :)