Lumens and Watts

Lighting technology

Lights account for around 10% of energy usage in your house, however, a small change can make a big difference.  LED lighting has become one of the top lighting methods for the world, expected to reach 61 percent of the light market this year.

Lighting technology has come a long way, from traditional Incandescent bulb to now LED-powered lights. The difference is massive, where Incandescent bulbs in comparison to LED’s consume only a fifth of electricity.

The life expectancy of traditional lights only last about 1,000 hours, LED light bulbs can last up to 25,000 hours. Lumens and Watts are used to measure how the light performs. Where once Watts was used to measuring the brightness of a light, with the light industry shifting, Lumens have become the new talk in lighting.

Lumens in lights

A lumen is a rating that has been used to measure how much light is emitted. The brightness of a traditional lightbulb was measured in Watts rather than lumens. 

The reason why lumens are used more often today for brightness is that Watts does not play a part in a bulb’s brightness. For comparison, a 40-Watt bulb produces 500 lumens, where a 500 lumen LED light only uses 6 – 8 watts.

Watts in lights

The use of Watts in lights is used to measure how much power is drawn. Watts were primarily used as a guide to brightness. With LED lighting the difference between the two can be different, with one brand consuming 8 watts to produce 800 lumens and another using 12.

Watts are now used to only to show the power draw of a lightbulb, therefore the “wattage equivalent” only refers to the brightness of the LED equivalent.

How Watts relates to Lumens

Although watts do not relate to brightness, watts still play a part in changing to an LED equivalent. A 50W floodlight that produces around 2400 Lumens, the equivalent LED counterpart would only consume around 10 – 15W.

Another aspect to consider is the efficiency of a LED lightbulb, the best way to calculate this is lumens/watts.

In conclusion, lights have come a long way since the introduction of incandescent lights. The latest technology, LED’s only consume a fifth the lighting than traditional methods, also beating halogen light efficiency. Measuring a light by the number of watts it draws is now a thing of the past, with lumens taking over.

At Black Frog Solar, we always recommend asking expert advice before choosing the right lighting for your domestic or commercial application.

Plus, if you need any solar lighting solutions, we are your one-stop-shop. Just visit our showroom or call BlackFrog Solar at 07 3881 1990 and schedule a free consultation today.

Until next time, stay tuned to find out more about how solar lights can make a difference for you!

Your friend and solar lighting experts,

The BlackFrog Solar Team