What Are Lumens?
In general, lumens (lm) are a measure of how much visible light a specific light source is emitting. Therefore, the higher the lumens, the more light a source will emit. This measure is extremely important for several reasons, especially within the LED lighting industry.
Why Are They Important?
The first and most important reason for understanding lumens is ensuring accurate and complete lighting of a certain space. For example, if a parking lot emits lower lumens than needed, you may sacrifice lighting in certain areas creating safety concerns. By working with Integra LED, we can help you choose the perfect lighting system for your space.
LEDs and Lumens
A common way to measure the efficiency of a lighting option is dividing lumens by watts. The larger the number, the more efficient the lighting option will be. LED lights are currently the most efficient lighting option due to their low wattage requirements.
For example, a common HID will produce 15,049 lumens using 320W giving it a lm/W of 47. On the contrary, an LED high bay will produce the same number of lumens with only 122W giving it a lm/W of 123. Therefore, a common LED high bay is around 2.6x more efficient than a common HID high bay.
Overall, when considering which lighting option to choose, LEDs are the best option because they offer the most light for energy used making them more efficient and cost-effective.
