Choose the right LED
LEDs come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colours for every room in your home. Choosing the right LED is easy if you know how to find the LED best suited to your needs.
Light output
Watts refer to the amount of energy required to power a bulb. Lumens refer to the light output. The more lumens, the more light output.
A 60-watt incandescent bulb emits the same light output as a 9-watt LED – 800 lumens. That means you’re getting the same amount of light while using less energy.
Look for the lumens on your LED product packaging to determine the light output.
Light colour
LEDs come in a range of light colours. Light colour, or colour temperature, is measured in Kelvin (K). The higher the colour temperature, the cooler the light.
Warm white, also called soft white, creates an ambient atmosphere suitable for bedroom or living room. Choose LEDs in the 2,700K to 3,000K range.
Cooler light, or daylight, is best for task-oriented activities such as reading or sewing. Choose LEDs around 5,000K.
Look for Kelvins on your LED product packaging to determine the light colour.
Types of LEDs
There are a number of LED bulb types you can purchase for your home:
- A-line bulbs replace your standard incandescent bulbs. They’re great for your table and floor lamps.
- Specialty bulbs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and beam angles for use in fixtures and recessed down lights.
- Fixtures can replace any existing incandescent or halogen fixtures you have. They come with the LED technology integrated into the fixture, so there’s no need to buy replacement bulbs.
ENERGY STAR® logo
Always look for the blue ENERGY STAR logo on LED product packaging. This logo means that your product has met strict standards for quality, efficiency, and long life. Keep your receipts because ENERGY STAR certified lighting products have a minimum 3-year warranty.
Lighting and home heating facts
Regardless of heating fuel, energy efficient bulbs are a great choice for exterior lighting. However, for indoor lighting, take note that Incandescent light bulbs generate heat that contributes to heating your home in the winter. Energy efficient bulbs generate lower amounts of heat, so they increase the demand on your heating system in the winter, and reduce the load on your cooling system in summer.
If you heat your home with a geothermal heat pump, natural gas, or electric heating system, you will benefit from energy efficient light bulbs. In contrast, if you heat your home with propane or fuel oil, the installation of energy efficient bulbs for interior fixtures may increase your total energy bill.