Choosing the right light bulb

Generally, there’s 2 different types that are used in most pendant lights, Edison screw and bayonet cap, these come in both standard size and a smaller size. Although the small ones are usually found in small plug in fittings such as bedside lamps. The best thing to do is to remove the old one, there will more than likely be a marking on it such as B22 or E27. If you get the same code you can guarantee that the new one will fit. Although there’s different designs such as candle and globe this is purely down to visual aspects.

You may also see markings or descriptions such as 3000k or colour temperature. Colour temperatures usually range from around 27000k (very warm white) to 6500k (daylight white). If unsure, the most popular lights I seem to fit are 3000k (warm white), this is around the same as the old-style halogen light bulbs.

So how many watts should you choose? Well to be honest, I tend to see selecting a light bulb brightness on wattage as a fairly dated way of getting the right brightness. If you search look on the packaging for the term “lumens” this will tell you exactly how much light you will get from your lamp or light bulb. An old style 60w halogen light bulb is the equivalent of around 800 lumens, this should be enough for most medium sized rooms. Although it’s worth bearing in mind that lamp shades can block out light and the amount of light required may be different depending on the purpose the room will be used for.

So, things to consider…

•    Fitting type and physical style of light bulb
•    Colour temperature
•    Brightness
•    Not all light bulbs are dimmable, so look for this if required

If you have downlights or spotlights to replace there’s more to consider such as beam angles. But I will go into more detail about this in the future. Please do let me know if you have any questions.

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