The Lighting Facts Label and Lumens

Compare lumens when buying light bulbs to make sure you're receiving the brightness level or amount of light you desire. A useful tool is the Lighting Facts Label. It is simple to compare bulb brightness, color, lifespan, and predicted annual running costs thanks to this label.

Invest on Lumens, Not Watts.
In the past, we choose light bulbs based on their wattage, or energy consumption. But it is now more logical to make lighting purchases based on the amount of light they produce.

When purchasing light bulbs, compare lumens rather than watts to determine the level of brightness you require. The brightness of a lightbulb is measured in lumens; the greater the value, the brighter the lightbulb.

Describe the Lumen.
Lumens are a unit of measurement for light output from a bulb. A light's lumen count indicates its brightness; a lower lumen count indicates a dimmer light.

Lumens are to light what

• Pounds are to bananas
• Gallons are to milk

Lumens let you buy the amount of light you want. So when buying light bulbs, think lumens, not watts.

The brightness, or lumen levels, of the lights in your home may vary widely, so here's a rule of thumb:

To replace a 100 watt (W) incandescent bulb, look for a bulb that gives you about 1600 lumens. If you want something dimmer, go for fewer lumens; if you prefer brighter light, look for more lumens.

• Replace a 75W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 1100 lumens
• Replace a 60W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 800 lumens
• Replace a 40W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 450 lumens.

What Qualifies as a Good Package? Label for Lighting Facts

The Federal Trade Commission mandates that manufacturers place a product label for light bulbs on the packaging in order to assist consumers. It facilitates the purchase of the best light bulbs for each individual.

The useful Lighting Facts label aids consumers in understanding what they are actually buying, much like the nutrition information on food goods. The label contains the following details:

• Brightness, measured in lumens
• Estimated yearly energy cost (similar to the EnergyGuide label)
• Lifespan
• Light appearance, measured by correlated color temperature (CCT) on the Kelvin (K) scale, from warm to cool.