Light bulb buying guide
In this guide, we take you through everything you need to know to find the right type, colour and style of light bulb for every room in your home.
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Light bulb shapes
When you're replacing your light bulbs, you also need to think about which bulb shape you need.
Some bulbs will need a like for like replacement, such as a spotlight shaped bulb. You should also consider the style of your light fixture and whether a different bulb shape will suit it.
Here are some of the most common light bulb shapes:
Replacing old bulbs
If you’re replacing an old-style energy saving CFL spiral or stick shaped bulb, you can change these to a newer LED bulb. Incandescent bulbs have now largely been removed from the market.
Light bulb brightness
The brightness of light bulbs is measured in lumens. Lumens is a measure of the light output of a light bulb. The higher the lumens, the brighter the light.
How many lumens you want from your bulb depends on the purpose of the light and whether you mainly need it for ambient, general, accent, or task lighting such as reading or cooking.
Wattage, once the standard for measuring light bulb brightness, is now primarily used to indicate energy consumption in LED bulbs. Check out the table below to learn how lumens, the new measure of brightness, compares to the wattage of older incandescent bulbs.
| Lumens | Equivalent wattage |
| 2600lm | 150w |
| 1600lm | 100w |
| 1100lm | 75w |
| 800lm | 60w |
| 450lm | 40w |
It can be tricky to work out how bright a light bulb will be based on the lumens number. Below, we have some examples of common light outputs for different light fixtures.
Hanging pendant
470-1521 lumens
Spotlight/downlight
140-600 lumens per head
Floor lamp
100-806 lumens
Table lamp
100-806 lumens
Light bulb colour temperatures
When selecting your new bulbs, be sure to take the colour temperature into account. Different colour temperatures can help you to create different moods or perform different tasks.
Kelvins
Kelvins are a measure of how cool or warm a light is, and the Kelvin scale measures the colour temperature of the light. The higher the number of Kelvins (shown as K), the whiter the light will be.
Lower kelvins
Low Kelvins generate warmer, cosier lights. Low kelvin lighting is perfect for your living room, dining room, bedroom and hallway.
Higher kelvins
High Kelvins give a more energising neutral white light. This can help to create an energising, bright environment. Higher kelvin lighting is perfect for kitchens, bathrooms, and areas where you work.
Light bulb beam angles
Selecting the correct beam angle is an important factor when buying a bulb.
A low beam angle gives directional light that highlights an area or object. Low beam angle lights work better in smaller rooms when fitted closer together.
A wide beam angle will give non-directional light. Bright lights with wider beam angles work better in larger rooms.
The material of the bulb can also have an impact on its beam angle. Plastic bulbs, for example, can have a lower beam angle compared to glass bulbs.
Dimmable LED bulbs
Not all LED bulbs are designed to be dimmed. If you want to use a dimmer switch, make sure you choose an LED bulb that can be dimmed.
In many cases, you can use your existing dimmer switch, just remove your current bulb and replace it with a dimmable LED bulb. If your replacement LED bulb flickers or you can hear a buzzing noise, you will probably need to change your dimmer switch to one that is designed to work with low wattage dimmable LED bulbs. This is because the older style dimmer switches cannot ‘read’ the low loading of an LED bulb.
LED filament bulbs
LED filament bulbs look good off and on. LED bulbs are often opaque or misted in colour, which can also be described as ‘pearl’ or ‘opal’. These can make the bulb look quite plain, but now there are new models available that are completely transparent.
LED filament bulbs are designed to look more like a traditional light bulb, complete with its distinctive yellow LED filaments for that extra character that reminds us of the original Edison filament; beautifully stylish but without the high running costs and short-life span of their predecessors.
These bulbs give off a warm inviting golden soft glow when used in table or wall lamps, perfect for creating a cosy atmosphere in sitting rooms or bedrooms.
Clear glass or amber glass?
When it comes to choosing an LED filament bulb, you also have the option of clear glass or amber coloured glass. They both show off the detail of their LED filaments with the amber glass option giving a much warmer colour temperature and the look of a retro vintage bulb.
Both are available in a wide range of shapes, and come in dimmable or non-dimmable options. Amber bulbs create a warm white light, whilst clear bulbs can be neutral as well as warm.