Your Guide to Making the Change From Watts to Lumens

Most times, with new technology comes a new vocabulary.  Many consumers have gotten used to using “watts” to refer to how much energy an incandescent bulb will use when lit.  We can see the difference in brightness between a 60-watt and 150-watt bulb, but the term gives us a basis of comparison for when comparing across the different lighting platforms such as LED, CFL and incandescent.  For example, with the introduction of CFL’s, consumers had to get used to thinking about watts in a new perspective, since a 15-watt CFL bulb produces equivalent light of a 60-watt incandescent.  To take the comparison even further, a 6-watt LED is equivalent to a 15-watt CFL bulb. 

Mental lighting math, however, will become a thing of the past.  Now that regulations are changing in the lighting industry and new technologies are emerging, consumers will have to get used to new terms such as Coloring Rendering Index (CRI) and Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) to help standardize the lighting solutions available.  Luckily for consumers, to make this easier, the Federal Trade Commission has mandated a change in the packaging for all bulbs. 

Effective in 2012, the new standard for measuring a bulb’s brightness will be “lumens”.  Lumens will replace wattage as the reliable way to gauge a bulb’s brightness.  To give you an idea of how lumens scale, a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb produces about 800 lumens.  Even though a CFL bulb uses fewer watts to produce that same amount of lumens, you don’t need to convert since lumens refer to light output rather than energy consumption.  This means that lumens can be used to compare brightness of any bulb, without conversion, whether it’s CFL, incandescent, or LED technology. 

The good news for consumers is that this change in labeling allows you to better compare lighting solutions available and determine which is best for your budget.  Pairing this change in labeling with the emergence of LED technology and the phasing out of traditional incandescent bulbs, consumers will find it even easier to choose their lighting solution.

New Tek Partners can help ease this transition.  We carry a wide range of LED products to help familiarize you with the latest in lighting technology.  Our lighting products are efficient, durable and environmentally safe.  In addition, our products meet the latest changes in packaging and lighting regulations.  Let us show you how to save with LED lighting today!