ReLamp Today

What is the color of light?

Color temperature is a way to describe how the light appears coming off of a light bulb. It is measured in degrees of Kelvin (K) on a scale from 1200k up to around 8000k. Your typical incandescent or halogen light bulb ranges between 2700k - 3000k. With LED technology and how it's used in lighting allows us to control what color temperature comes out of the light bulb. This allows us to control how the room appears under the light.

Another advantage to LED is the ability to change the color temperature of the light. There are 2 ways to make this work. The 1st method is typically called "warm dim". This mimics incandescent and halogen lighting where when you dim the light source it goes down in color temperature. The 2nd method is being able to control the color output of the light via an app or other control methods. This means you can get the perfect color temperature for your needs.

What is a lamp and what is a bulb?

The answer to this really depends on who you are speaking to and what the topic is. Let's start with the word lamp and the definition according to the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

"A generic term for a manufactured source created to produce optical radiation." So in laymen terms, man made product that puts out light. Let's take a deeper look into that word.

If an industry expert is speaking to another industry expert, they will use the word lamp as defined above by IES. They are referring to the source of light and not a lighting fixture with a decorative shade. If you are speaking to an everyday person, they would say a lamp refers to a lighting fixture that sits on a floor or table stand that has a decorative shade over the light. Typically this is a decorative fixture but sometimes used as an accent.

So if lighting fixture is the lamp, what do you call the light source... a light bulb.

According to Webster Dictionary the word bulb refers to multiple industry terms. The primary definition is in relation to the horticulture industry. But another definition refers to the shape. This is where the light bulb comes from. The light source that typically goes into a lamp is in the shape of a flower bulb and so everyone has now come to refer a source of light as a bulb no matter the shape.

Why Upgrade Lighting with LEDs?

2 main reasons for updating lighting with LEDs. 1. Control of the quality of the light and the different aspects of lighting. 2. Energy Savings.

1. With LED lighting technology getting better and better we can control more aspects of lighting.
- Color temperature
- Lumen output (brightness intensity)
- Dimmable
- CRI (color rendering index, how well it reproduces color)

2. Energy Savings and Return on Investment:

125 Light Bulbs, on for 3 hours a day, $0.11/kwh electricity rate

Incandescent:

Average Wattage = 60 watts
60 watts x 3 hrs = 180 watts per day per light bulb
180 watts x 125 light bulbs = 22,500 watts per day
22,500 watts = 22.5 kwh
22.5 kwh x $0.11/kwh = $2.48 per day
$2.48 x 365 = $905.20 per year

LED:

Average Wattage = 10 watts
10 watts x 3 hrs = 30 watts per day per light bulb
30 watts x 125 light bulbs = 3,750 watts per day
3,750 watts = 3.75 kwh
3.75 kwh x $0.11/kwh = $0.41 per day
$0.41 x 365 = $149.65 per year

Yearly Electric Bill Savings = $755.55 per year
Cost of Upgrade to LED = $2,000
Return on Investment = $2,000/$755.55 = 2 years 7 months

Other savings:
- No maintenance (changing out light bulbs), LED lasts for 22 years
- Less heat and AC runs less