Littleton Light Bulb Replacement

1. Identify Your Bulb Type

Take a look at the bulb shape and determine its maximum wattage. The higher the wattage, the more energy the bulb will consume.  Most common full room bulbs are 60 watts.  A lamp bulb is usually 25 watts.

Make sure to never use a bulb with higher wattage than your fixture recommends.  Installing a bulb with higher wattage than recommended can lead to overheating the fixture and maybe even a fire.

2. Determine the Most Energy Efficient Light Bulb

When deciding on the type of bulb to purchase, take a look at the wattage and type of filament.  

Here’s a rundown of the different types of light bulbs;

Incandescent – Incandescent bulbs pass electric current through metal filament to produce heat.  The Incandescent bulb is the most common light bulb in America, although it is being slowly replaced by more energy efficient bulbs like LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs.  Many household and commercial light fixtures still use these types of bulbs which last 1000 hours on average.

LED – Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs consume less energy than other light bulbs and last up to ten times longer than a regular bulb.  LEDs pass an electric current through a semi-conducting material.  LEDs last 25,000 hours on average and are twice as efficient as CFL bulbs

CFL – CFL (compact fluorescent light) are usually identified by their shape (spiral, folded) and the process that powers the bulb called fluorescence which passes an electric current through a gaseous tube.  CFL type bulbs use about 1/4 of the energy of a comparable incandescent bulb offering similar visible light output.  CFLs can last an average of 10,000 hours.

Halogen – Halogen lights are based on the same technology as incandescent lights, but are typically used for tasks where high light is needed like desk lamps, reading, artwork, or other activities. Halogen bulbs last 2000 hours on average.

3. Do I Need a Dimmable Bulb?

Depending on the circumstance you may want to opt for a dimmable bulb.  Although you can put a dimmable light in a non-dimmable socket you might get flickering or other problems.

It is best to carefully examine the fixtures instructions to determine if you need a dimmable bulb and the type the manufacturer recommends.

4. Determine Light Bulb’s Luminosity

Lumen is a unit of measurement that determines the total amount of visible light that is emitted.

The higher the lumen count, the more light that is emitted. So if you want a bulb that gives off a lot of light, get one with a higher lumen count. Conversely, if you want a bulb that gives off a dimmer light, get one with a lower lumen count.

5. Consider Your Lighting Needs

Proper lighting can impact the comfort level of any room.  Too bright of lights can ruin the mood in a bedroom, and insufficient light in a room can make it drab and unusable. Make sure you check the wattage rating in all fixtures and purchase the proper type of lighting for comfortable and pleasant home or office lighting.