There are four popular types of lightbulbs: incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL), halogen, and light-emitting diode (LED).
Light-Emitting Diode (LED): One of the most energy-efficient lightbulb types, it gives off no heat, contains no mercury, and emits a bright light. They provide directional light so they are great for task lighting. Some light fixtures come with LED lights built-in and are referred to as integrated LED. They are long-lasting (up to 50,000 hours) and are great for hard-to-reach places.
Incandescent: These are the most commonly used type of bulb and are usually the least expensive. They emit a warm light, can be used with dimmers, and usually last up to a year – longer than halogen lightbulbs, but not as long as CFL or LED lightbulbs. They are also not as energy-efficient as other lightbulb types.
Compact Fluorescent (CFL): These energy-efficient bulbs can emit a wide range of colors depending on the model you choose. They often take some time to warm up and get brighter. Use these to illuminate large spaces, such as basements, great rooms, and kitchens. They are less expensive than LED lights and can last longer than incandescent lights. These lightbulbs contain mercury, so you want to handle them carefully. Once they burn out, they are recyclable.
Halogen: These lights emit a white light that simulates high-noon daylight. Energy-efficient and dimmable, they are great for recessed lighting, pendant lights, and under-cabinet lighting. This lightbulb has the shortest lifespan of the four. However, it is important to note that they warm quickly, so they should be kept away from fire-hazardous materials. We also recommend using gloves to change the bulb as oil from your hands can make the bulb explode if it gets too hot.
DAYLIGHT BULBS
Daylight, as the name suggests, are very bright white LED lights that produce a nice calming effect because of their wider light spectrum. Daylight LED light produces a higher color temperature in the range of 5000 – 6500 K, making it ideal for bathrooms and kitchens as well as basements.
It creates a natural effect because of its greater color contrast and for the same reason, it can be conveniently used anywhere in your home or apartment. Because Daylight LED lights are exceptionally bright, they do not cause strain on your eyes. It provides an instantaneous warm glow to your interiors just like the sun’s natural light, while the full-spectrum LEDs emit light across the full spectrum of natural light.
Soft White Bulbs
Soft White produces a yellow hue and a lower color temperature in the range of 2700 – 3000 K. It replicates a yellowish white light that the regular incandescent bulbs gave off. Bulbs that are marked as soft white or warm white or Kelvins below 3000 K produce a warm white light providing a warm, cozy feel to your living room and bedroom. Unlike Daylight LED lights, soft white is richer in yellow and red, thus producing a warm light. Soft whites are the yellowest of all LED bulbs and work well where you want soft lighting. Because of its lower color intensity, it makes light feel warm, producing a more relaxing light. This is why it’s ideal for overall illumination in areas such as the living room, dining room, or bedroom.
DAYLIGHT vs Soft white LED Bulbs
| Daylight LED | Soft white LED |
| Mimics the natural light of the sun to provide an instantaneous glow. | Replicates the old yellowish-white light close to incandescent bulbs. |
| Creates bluish-white color | Creates a yellowish hue. |
| Produces a higher temperature in the range of 5000K to 6500K. | Produces a lower temperature in the range of 2700K to 3000K. |
| Ideal for bathrooms, kitchens, and basements. | Ideal for bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms |
BASES
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- Standard-Medium, a regular-sized screw in base: E26 or E27.
- Candelabra, a smaller screw in base: E12.
- Intermediate: E17.
- Bi-pin, a pin-in base with two points of contact: G4 or GU24.
- Twist-And-Lock base: GU10.
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The right light can make or break a room, and having experienced a room with several different kinds of bulbs (which is what you’re left with when you blind-pick), I know it’s far from ideal. Besides, like many things in life, they’re not so hard to understand if you take the time to figure out what, exactly, a lumen is.
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- Kitchens: 6,000–10,000 lumens.
- Bathrooms: 5,000–8,000 lumens.
- Bedrooms: 3,000–4,000 lumens.
- Living Room: 2,000–4,000 lumens.
- Dining Room: 3,000–6,000 lumens.
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It’s important to note that lumens are not the same as watts, which measure how much energy a light bulb uses.
“When you’re considering the brightness or strength of a light, what you first need to decide is what you’ll want to do with that light,” says Monte. “Are you looking for an overall ambient, task, or accent lighting?”
To figure out your ideal lumen-per-light ratio. “You’ll want to consider how many light sources there are for each room,” says Monte. “In a living room, you might have two to four light sources, while in a bedroom you may simply have bedside table lamps.” Use the formula of [total lumens per room] ÷ [number of lights] to figure out how many lumens you need per bulb. For instance, if you want 2,000 lumens in your living room and there are four light sources, you’ll want to aim for 500 lumens per light.
Run A Temperature Check
Once you’ve figured out how many lumens you need, it’s time to think about the warmth of the bulbs, which is measured in Kelvin (K). Color warmth ranges from around 1,000 to 10,000, and the lower the Kelvin rating, the warmer the light. To give you some context, a candle gives off approximately 1,900K light, while a blue sky is 10,000K.
Here, you’ll want to think about the overall aesthetic of the room, as warm light tends to be cozier, and cool light bulbs are usually better at task lighting. The warmth of a light bulb is also important for tasks such as putting on make-up, where you want the light to closely mimic daylight. Luckily, there are “daylight” light bulbs for this exact purpose.
When choosing light bulbs for her clients, Monte recommends the following warmth in each room:
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- Kitchens: 4,100K
- Bathrooms: 4,100K
- Bedrooms: 2,700K
- Living Room: 2,700K
- Dining Room: 2,700K
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As you can see, she uses warmer bulbs in bedrooms and living rooms, where you want a more laid-back, relaxing vibe: “A warm light will make a clean and modern home feel cozier by softening the overall look and feel of the space,” she explains.
Choices:
Armed with the ideal lumen and Kelvin rating, you head to the light bulb aisle—only to be greeted by a dozen products that suit your needs. You’ll probably have a choice between LED and incandescent bulbs, and while incandescent are typically less expensive, Monte says to go for the LEDs, which last 25 times longer and use 75 percent less energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“LEDs are present and in the future in our book,” she explains. “They not only last longer, but they can offer that gorgeous warm glow to a room. Not to mention, they don’t run as hot. While they’re more of an investment upfront, their life expectancy and energy savings are worth it in the long haul.”
Finally, just make sure the bulb’s wattage doesn’t exceed the maximum recommendation for the lighting source. This is another reason to go with LEDs, as they typically have lower wattage than equivalent incandescent options.
“We’ve settled on Philips as our go-to brand for light bulbs,” says Monte. “They knock it out of the park when it comes to LEDs with a soft, warm glow that’s great for nearly every room while also being modern.”
If you’re not sure whether you want warm or cool light for your room, you can get the best of both worlds with a smart bulb, like the Philips Hue.
Not only can these bulbs be controlled from your phone, but they also offer 50,000 shades of white light, letting you find the perfect color for your space. They’re more expensive than standard bulbs, but smart bulbs are Energy Star-certified and last for 25,000 lifetime hours.
All A19 lamps have an E26 base, but not the other way around
The standards that govern the dimensions and design of A19 light bulbs also dictate that it must use an E26 screw base. In other words, all A19 light bulbs also have an E26 base.
The difference between E26 and A19 is simply a matter of size and shape. The base type for standard A19 light bulbs is E26. A19 bulbs have an E26 base and will fit into sockets approved for Edison bulbs.
What does A19 mean?
A19 refers to the shape and size of the bulb itself. “A” stands for Arbitrary — just the name of the shape that’s familiar to most of us. “19” refers to the size — in this case, 19/8″ (or 2 3/8″) across. E26 refers to the type and size of the base — the part that goes into the light socket.
The reason it’s useful to know both the shape and base is because you can’t just ask for one of these and get the bulb you’re looking for. Most A19 bulbs in the States will have an E26 base, but there are exceptions. And there are many shapes of bulbs that have E26 bases, so just asking for an E26 bulb won’t get you very far.
Sources: Wayfair
