Now with LED bulbs around, we need to focus more on the lumens rather than wattage. Lumens measure the level of brightness produced by a light bulb. Obviously, the higher the lumens, the brighter a bulb illuminates. Recently, manufacturers started to declare the lumens of each bulb on its package to clear the confusion.

The relation between a bulb’s wattage and the lumens it produces can help us measure its luminous efficiency. This term refers to the lumens created per each watt consumed. In other words, luminous efficiency indicates how economical the bulb is in converting watts into lumens. For example, a 60W incandescent bulb produces 800 lumens. This means th...

Equivalent wattage is a term used to describe the brightness of an LED bulb in comparison with incandescent lamps. For example, when you see the phrase “60W equivalent” on an LED light bulb, it doesn’t mean it consumes 60W. Instead, it means the bulb produces as many lumens as a 60W incandescent, which is 800 lumens. Having said that, a 60W equival...