I have just fitted some new wall lights with led bulbs in them and the light emitting from them is awfully cold. The bulb I have at present is a 6w Osram SMD LED 5000k. It says Ra 83 on Box (could just be the item number). I have googled led lights and wonder what I need instead as I would like a warm light ray I have grey walls and this bulb makes them look very stark.
Does anyone know what I should change to?
russ18,
Jun 12, 6:43am
You want more like 3000k or 4000k for a warmer colour.
sally63,
Jun 12, 6:44am
Ok thanks. Does it still give off enough light to read from it? Also they said at the store that a 7w light would be better (they did not have any in stock). Is this even brighter?
russ18,
Jun 12, 6:55am
The light output is often given in lumens, dont think the colour temperature causes any variance in lumens.
sally63,
Jun 12, 6:59am
OK. I think I understand:) Lumens is the same as k's?
russ18,
Jun 12, 7:10am
No, lumens is light output - brightness, ks is the colour temperature - often warm yellow thu to cold white.
sally63,
Jun 12, 7:14am
Brilliant. Thanks Russ.
tintop,
Jun 12, 8:27am
Here is a bit of a rough guide, unfortunately it does not emphasise lumen's as a measure of brightness -
Also very remiss in not using a upper case W for Watts :) Very shonkey.
ianab,
Jun 12, 8:35am
What Russ says. Old school incandescents produce light around 2700K, so a 3,000K LED will be similar shade.
Natural sunlight is more like 6,000K, and has a harsher and bluer look to it, more like the 5,000K LED you have.
This page has all the scientific stuff if you are keen, and even if you aren't, there is a photo of some different colour lamps together so you can see the difference. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature
Lumens is the measure of the amount of light produced.
Watts is also a general indication as long as the technology is the same. If you go from a 6watt LED to 10Watt LED you should notice the difference, and the Lumens will give you the exact measure. Probably similar to changing from an old 60w lamp to a 100w lamp.
tintop,
Jun 12, 8:39am
Its a pity that all have not standardised on lumen's, with a reference to actual power consumption.
Most packaging says what they are. I use "warm white" in living areas and the "daylight" ones in work areas.
fhpottery,
Jun 12, 9:54am
Ive never compared this. Hmmmm must do. Is their a big difference?
maddie44,
Jun 12, 9:57am
Huge difference, the warm has a glow whereas the daylight is bright. The daylight ones are also good in the dome type light fittings
ryanm2,
Jun 12, 6:51pm
Most, if not all LED lamps and fittings from reputable brands have a lumen output on the box as well as the watts.
ira78,
Jun 13, 1:21am
Ironically, the color emitted from them is actually awfully "hot"
carter19,
Jun 13, 6:41am
We have 5w in the hall and lounge. They are much brighter than the 50w halogens they replaced. More tha enough light to read and sew by.
tintop,
Jun 13, 7:34am
Most - yes, not all.
mojo49,
Jun 13, 7:47am
True Warm White is about 2700 Degrees Kelvin. That is the same colour as a traditional Edison filament bulb. I only use 2700 Deg K bulbs for night-time lighting. I use 4500 Degree Kelvin for supplementing daylight, such as in a office. Watts and degrees Kelvin are not related as mentioned above. Watts is about brightness. Degrees Kelvin is about the colour of the light. FYI 0 degrees Kelvin is "absolute zero." about -193 Degrees C, the temp at which hydrogen freezes. Colour temperature is usually on light packaging and is a much better guide than general description eg Cool white.
tintop,
Jun 13, 9:14pm
The energy use can only be used for a brightness comparison for like for like types of lamp. So a 100W incandescent will emit approx twice as much light as a 50W of the same type. Same as a 10W LED will be brighter than a 5W LED .
A 100W LED will light up the whole neighbourhood. :)
The unit for measuring brightness ( actually total visible light emission) across all lamp types is the lumen (lm)
So incandescent, CFL, LED, mercury vapour, low pressure sodium, carbon arc, etc etc etc can be directly compared using the lumen.
The efficiency of a lamp is how many lumens are emitted per Watt of power consumption.
tmenz,
Jun 13, 11:08pm
As stated, 0°K is absolute zero, but this is -273.15°C. 0°C = +273.15°K 100°C = +373.15°K The colour temperature of light is derived from the colour of Tungsten when heated to a given temperature. Incandescent light globes usually use tungsten wire filaments which, when heated up to incandescence, emit light of different perceived colours when heated to different temperatures. Thus, when heated to a relatively low temperature of, say, 2000°K, the colour is quite red, but when heated to, say 6000°K the colour is much more blue-white. Paradoxically the light at the lower colour temperature is said to be 'warmer' and at the higher is said to be 'colder'! Standard incandescent globes tend to be run at around 3000°K, so they are rated as 'warm-white' - they burn out rather quickly otherwise! Outside daylight colour temperature varies considerably, depending on factors such as sunniness, cloudiness, time of day etc., but generally range from about 4700°K to as much as 10000°K on a bright 'blue' day. The standard television 'white' is defined as 6500°K.
mojo49,
Jun 14, 9:42pm
Thanks for correction tmenz. I was going from memory and should have checked. Nice explanation of colour temperature.
fhpottery,
Jun 18, 9:29am
LED lights are amazing. I am an Industrial electrician and have converted my house to them. No more nagging kids about leaving lights on.They are bright, use low power and so far seem reliable. Less heat so a lower fire risk, less power usage. Now the thing that seems to confuse people is the colour renditioning and what wattage to replace existing lamps with. It's not clear to consumers yet and needs clarification I think. I suggest people try to change one fitting first and see if they like the colour temperature before changing all the fittings. Generally I have been impressed by the ones I have done.
fhpottery,
Jun 18, 9:34am
LED floods do Have heatsinks on the back made of aluminium so I think, may corrode in coastal situations and be looking pretty sick in a short space of time. It will be interesting to see how lightening and surges will trouble these fittings in the long run. Personally, so far, I like them a lot, and think the reduced fire risk from lamp heat a big plus, so long as drivers are installed properly, and fittings installed to code (etc).
t_naki,
Jun 18, 7:22pm
Most halogen foods are aluminum so they won't be significantly different in that respect.
As for surges I recommend that all houses have a surge diverter fitted to the main switchboard so that would eliminate any problems like that. I cannot understand how people can invest so many thousands of dollars in electronic products but still the idea of protecting them with a $50 surge diverter seems to escape people, even sparky's who are missing a golden up sell opportunity.
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