For Consumers
Choosing the right lamp
Choosing the right lamp
Incandescent and mains voltage halogen lamps are phasing out and these lamps will start to disappear from stores. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to switch to more efficient lamps, like LEDs, to save money and energy.
The following information will help you to make an informed decision when purchasing your next lamp.
Before you leave your home, think about what you need from a new lamp.
If you want to replace an existing lamp with something similar, note down the cap shape and size, voltage, the number of lumens (lm), the colour temperature (CCT), and for directional lamps, the beam angle.
Consider its purpose
Consider how you want to use the lamp. Do you need brightness for a workspace, whole of room lighting, a specialist lamp or something else?
For example, a room may need ambient lighting and/or task-specific lighting.
- ambient lighting radiates over a larger area at a comfortable brightness level
- task specific lighting is used when you need lots of light in a specific place e.g. for reading or sewing, over kitchen benches and bathroom mirrors or to emphasise features in your home.
You could also use:
- smart technology lamps that can be controlled for brightness or colour temperature
- lamps that are marked as compatible with dimmer controls.
Key lighting terms and attributes
Before you head to the shop for a new lamp its helpful to understand lighting terms. Many of these are presented on the lamp packaging.
Packing information
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Lumens
Expressed as lm, which is the light output of the lamp, or put simply, lamp brightness.
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Watts - Luminous efficacy
Watts, which is the measurement of electricity used by the lamp and allows you to calculate the energy efficiency, referenced as luminous efficacy, of a lamp.
Luminous efficacy helps you compare the efficiency of similar lamps. Remember, a higher luminous efficacy means the lamp is more efficient so look for “lm/W”. If you cannot see it on the packaging, you can calculate it by dividing lumens by watts.
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Cap type
A bayonet (B), Edison screw (E) or downlight (GU10 or MR16).
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light fitting size
E.g. B22 or E27, this is the size of the socket that the cap type fits.
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Colour temperature
Colour temperature, referred to as correlated colour temperature (CCT), helps you find a colour temperature suitable for the room, e.g. warm (2,700 Kelvin) to cool (4,000 Kelvin) to daylight (5,000 Kelvin).
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Colour accuracy
The colour accuracy, referred to as colour rending index (CRI), is an assessment of how accurately the light source shows illuminated object colours when compared to a reference, which is either incandescent light or daylight.
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Beam angle
Beam angle for reflector lamps, is how wide the reflector lamp projects light in your room.
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Rated lifetime
Expressed in hours of operation.
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On-mode power use
Expressed in watts (W), which is when the lamp is turned on and consumes electricity.
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Standby power use
Expressed in watts (W), which is when a smart lamp is turned off but continues to consume small amounts of electricity.
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Dimmer compatibility
Dimmer compatibility includes information about any dimmers that the product is compatible with.
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Equivalence to incandescent lamps
Equivalence to incandescent lamps, comparison and equivalence to other products or lamp.
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Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM)
The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) is required by the Electrical Equipment Safety System. Visit The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) (General) for more information about the trademarked symbol.
Understanding lamp colours
Colour temperature
The colour temperature of your lamp can impact how your space feels and is important to consider when you’re buying a replacement.
Colour temperature, referred to as correlated colour temperature (CCT), is measured in Kelvin (K). The lower the Kelvin number, the warmer the tone, having an amber or yellow tone. Warm colour temperature lamps are useful for living spaces. The higher the Kelvin number, the cooler and bluer the tone. These are useful for task lighting. Blue light, should be avoided in bedrooms. It can suppress melatonin that your body produces to help get a good night’s sleep.
Incandescent, halogen, compact fluorescent and double-capped fluorescent lamps have different colour temperature ranges. For example:
- incandescent lamps emit warm white light at about 2,700K
- halogen lamps are a bit whiter at 3,000K
- LED lamps emit cool white (4000 K), cool white to daylight (5,000 K), and daylight (6,500 K) but can replicate lower colour temperatures.
Available colour tones, Kelvin value and suitable spaces
Amber
Amber to orange to yellow and Is 2,200K.
Warm White
Yellow to white and is 2,700K. Good for relaxing and suited to living rooms and bedrooms.
White
White to blue and is 4,000K. This is better for concentrating or seeing detail. Good for studies, kitchens, garages, and workshops.
Daylight
Blue to daylight and is 6,500K. This can appear harsh and sterile indoors. Good for laboratories, detailed work.
Colour accuracy
Ever wondered why objects look different under different lamps? Well, it is all about colour accuracy, referred to as colour rendering index (CRI). CRI is a way to measure a light source's distinctive attributes. It is a measure of how the light source shows object colours naturally when compared to a reference, e.g. daylight.
For higher colour accuracy value, look for a higher CRI.
The Colour Rendering Index is a scale between 0 and 100.
Tips for CRI
Lamps
that have a CRI of 80 to 90 are good for normal tasks
Lamps
with a CRI of 90 plus are excellent for task lighting if colour is important
Other features
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Power mode
Electricity is consumed when you switch a light on at the wall or with your smart device. This is the on-mode power use of a lamp, and this information should be available on the lamps packaging.
When you switch a light off you assume it’s off, right? But in the case of some smart lamps or sensor lamps, it may still be drawing power on standby, and just like a television, these lamps constantly consume small amounts of electricity in this mode. The LED determination sets the maximum allowed standby power at 0.5W and requires this value to be marked on the package if it is more than zero.
While 0.5W may be small, it adds up if you have multiple lamps in your house on standby 24 hours a day. Look for lamps with lower standby power and turn them off at the wall switch when not in use to save energy.
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Beam angle, for directional lamps
The design of directional or reflector lamps varies depending on where and how they are installed. Directional lamps, such as recessed downlights and ceiling mounted spotlights, are used to aim light in a particular direction to illuminate an area or surface for a particular task (such as a kitchen bench or sink) or highlight special objects. Directional lamps are less suited for general illumination of a room - an omnidirectional lamp can be used to provide ambient light in open spaces like a living room.
No matter the use they all have beam angle, this is the angle of light provided by the lamp. It can range from 15 to 120 degrees. A smaller angle indicates a spotlight beam, and higher angles are floodlight or wide beam.
Downlights have a beam angle of 45 – 60 degrees or more depending on the room size and ceiling height. Work with your architect or lighting specialist to find lamps that meet your needs.
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Dimmer compatibility for dimmable fittings
Some houses have dimmers installed that adjust light levels for ambience and can also save electricity and money. So, if you have dimmers installed, it is important that the lamps you buy are dimmer compatible.
Not all LED lamps are compatible with all dimming systems. Check the LED package for information on whether the lamp is compatible with dimmers (and which ones). You should work with your electrician or lighting supplier to find lamps that meet your needs.
Dimmable
Not dimmable
