Everyone who chooses lamps or lamps for lighting sooner or later faces the question of choosing power. However, it is important to understand that when choosing lighting, one should not focus only on the power of the device, but on the power of the luminous flux, which is measured in lumens.

What is a lumen?

A lumen is a unit of measurement of the amount of visible light emitted by a light source per square meter. The higher the lumens, the brighter the device will shine.

Previously, we used to choose incandescent lamps by power, for example, 40W or 60W, hoping that this would provide us with the necessary brightness. However, it is important to remember that the power consumed by the device does not always correlate with the amount of light it emits.

Thanks to LED technology, it is possible to achieve high light output with significantly lower energy consumption. For example, a 12W LED lamp generates a luminous flux equivalent to a 100W incandescent lamp (1100 lumens). This means that LEDs consume 90% less electricity, but provide the same brightness.

Why are LEDs efficient?

LEDs have the ability to convert most of their energy into light, not heat, which makes them very efficient. As technology advances, LEDs are becoming more powerful while consuming less energy.

How to choose the right number of lumens?

To correctly choose the number of lumens needed to illuminate a room, you need to take into account several factors: the size and shape of the room, ceiling height, wall color, etc. But there is a formula that will help determine the required number of lumens:

X * Y * Z = Lm

X is the standard illumination for a specific type of room (indicated in the table),

Y is the area of ​​​​the room in square meters,

Z is the ceiling height coefficient.

Coefficient for ceiling height:

Ceiling height from 2.5 to 2.7 m - coefficient 1,

Ceiling height from 2.7 to 3 m - coefficient 1.2,

Ceiling height from 3 to 3.5 m - coefficient 1.5,

Ceiling height from 3.5 to 4.5 m - coefficient 2.

Calculation example

For example, to illuminate a living room with an area of ​​20 sq.m. and a ceiling height of up to 2.7 m, we use the standard illumination for living rooms - 200 lumens per square meter. Multiply:

200 lumens * 20 sq.m. = 4000 lumens.

Therefore, to illuminate such a living room, a light source that will emit 4000 lumens is required.

This can be achieved using one or more light sources.