Which bulb should I choose for my light fixture?

When buying a light fixture, you also need 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 with, what type of bulb should you choose?

There are roughly 3 types of light bulbs today:

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

To end the suspense, incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs are used less and less and are for some 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, the choice is clear, so make sure you buy an LED bulb, the planet and your electricity bill will thank you.

What power bulb should I choose?

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

But then how do you choose this light output? 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 with Lux, a unit equivalent to lumen/m2, and 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 bedroom needs about 200 lux (maximum) to be properly lit while remaining pleasant. If it is 15m2, and there are 3 light sources (2 bedside lamps and a central pendant light). We will therefore need 3000 lumens (200 lux x 15m2) that you distribute as you wish between the different sources, for example 500 lumens for each bedside lamp, to be able to read properly and 2000 lumens for the central pendant light.

If you're not a big fan of calculations, here's a rough table of the wattage needed for your bulbs depending on the room:

Once you know the light output you need for your fixture, look for the bulb with the lowest possible electrical wattage. This will give you the bulb with the best luminous efficiency (in lumens/Watt).

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

What temperature?

The temperature of the light will directly set the tone of 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 do in a room.

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

• From 3500 to 5000 K , we are in the light temperature range close to that of everyday life, which allows a task to be adequately illuminated while creating a pleasant atmosphere. It is this temperature range that we recommend, for example, for lights installed above a dining table or a kitchen worktop.
  

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

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 allow precise work. On the contrary, a warm light will often be very weak, around 300 lumens maximum, contributing to the establishment of a warm and subdued atmosphere.

As an aside, tastes in terms of temperature and power of light are very cultural. For example, Scandinavians will prefer very warm and low-power lights, going hand in hand with the light they receive from the sun, which is very low and low-power at home. On the contrary, Middle Eastern countries will prefer a fairly cold and powerful light, close to that which they find during the day.

Now you are an expert in choosing your bulbs! However, if you still have any doubts or questions about a particular project, do not hesitate to contact us , we will be happy to help you choose the best bulb to go with our lights :)