Lamp power and room lighting standards

When choosing a chandelier, ceiling lamp or local light source for a house or apartment, the buyer thinks in advance about the power of the lamps that will be used there. Often this is done on the basis of personal practical experience or, at all, on a whim. Meanwhile, there are clear lighting criteria that characterize a healthy environment for objects of various purposes. The current regulations and standards recommend following the following illumination indicators for different types of rooms (lux):

  • Stairs, lobbies, corridors - 20 - 30 lux;
  • Bathrooms and toilets - 50 lux;
  • Living rooms and bedrooms - 150 lux;
  • Children - 200 lux;
  • Offices, classrooms - 300 lx;
  • Laboratories, workshops - 400 lux;
  • Classrooms - 500 lux.

Regulatory documents operate with two parameters: illumination in lux (lx) and luminous flux emitted by a light source in lumens (Lm). In this case, 1 lux is tied to the area of the illuminated room and is equal to 1 Lm/m2. How can the normalized illumination be correlated with the lamp power in watts? To make it clearer, let's look at a simple example. We have a 100W incandescent lamp installed in a 20m2 living space. Such a lamp has a luminous flux of approximately 1200 lm, which, in terms of 1 sq. a meter of area gives 60 lux of illumination, which is clearly not enough for such a room.

So what do we know now? In order to find out whether the room is properly illuminated, it is necessary to know its area, as well as the amount of light flux and lamp power, which are indicated on the packaging for the product. Keep in mind that lamps of different types of the same power (W) will have different luminous flux (Lm). By dividing the value of the luminous flux (Lm) by the area of the room (m2), we get the actual illumination (lx), which can be compared with the normative one.

Features of the design and operation of different types of lamps


A favorable light environment in a room, necessary for human comfort, is determined by a number of factors that should be taken into account when choosing lamps for lighting an apartment, office, workshops, laboratories, utility rooms, etc. In addition to the main characteristic - the power of the lamp, the quality of lighting is affected by the color temperature of the spectrum, color rendering index, pulsation, and the direction of the light flux. In addition, during the operation of lamps, one cannot ignore such points as efficiency, heat dissipation, strength, durability and energy efficiency of lamps. There are several common types of lamps that differ in design and operational characteristics, which we propose to consider in our review.

Incandescent lamps

Incandescent lamps (LN) can be unequivocally ranked among the relics of the electric era of lighting. In addition to low cost, lack of pulsations and a pleasant color temperature of about 2700K, close to natural light, archaic "Ilyich's bulbs" have many disadvantages. They have a very fragile glass bulb and are sensitive to mains voltage parameters, which significantly reduce the declared service life of 1000 hours. The low efficiency of light bulbs converts a significant part of the energy consumed into heat, greatly heating the bulb and base. And the power consumption of incandescent lamps in relation to the light output is very high. This is very costly and wasteful in today's conditions of widespread reduction in energy consumption. But in our review, LNs are interesting in that we will use them as a starting point for comparison with other types of light sources.

Halogen lamps

A halogen lamp is an improved version of an incandescent lamp, which differs from it in that here the filament burns in a protective gas (bromine or iodine). Thanks to this, it was possible to increase the temperature of the spiral, which had a positive effect on the increase in the luminous flux and increase the lamp life up to 4000 hours. The power consumption of halogen lamps with a comparable luminosity with LN is about 30% lower, which allows you to save a little on electricity bills. Of the advantages of lamps of this type, it is worth noting the ability to work in a wide range of ambient temperatures from -60 ° C to +100 ° C, which makes them similar to conventional incandescent lamps. Halogens also have a good color rendering index of Ra 99-100, which is closest to natural light. But, just like LN, they get very hot and do not like vibrations. The cost of halogen light sources is significantly higher than traditional lamps, and this makes us think about the advisability of buying them for household lighting.

Popular halogen bulbs

Fluorescent lamps

For fluorescent lampsusing the gas-discharge glow of the phosphor layer, the luminous efficiency per unit of energy consumption is higher than that of LN and halogen lamps. Therefore, they are also called energy efficient. They have a long service life of 5 years, subject to rare on and off cycles. The power of a fluorescent lamp of 29 W is enough to replace one conventional 100-watt LN. The disadvantages of such lamps include the environmental hazard due to the content of mercury in their composition, the color spectrum that is unpleasant for perception and the inevitable flickering during operation. Another disadvantage of energy-efficient lamps for the home is the complex spiral shape of the glass discharge tube, which does not look very aesthetically pleasing in home chandeliers.

Popular fluorescent light bulbs

LED lamp

Currently, LED lamps have become the leader in consumer preferences. In shape and appearance, they are similar to ordinary lamps, with the only difference being that the electronics with LEDs are covered here with a durable plastic bulb. With the same luminous flux, the power consumption of LED lamps is almost an order of magnitude lower than that of LN, which makes them very economical in operation. The most comfortable lamps for human perception have a light flux temperature of 2700 - 3000 K, corresponding to natural sunlight. Temperatures from 4000 to 5000 K are considered white neutral light, and anything above that is white cold light. It should be noted that according to subjective sensations, LED lamps of the same power seem brighter as they shift to a cold color temperature spectrum. But, nevertheless, for home use it is better to buy lamps of a “warm” color spectrum, while neutral and cold ones are more suitable for corridor lighting. Unfortunately, LED light sources containing electronic components are subject to pulsation, which is reduced to acceptable levels in products of well-known brands.

Popular LED bulbs

With the advent of filament lamps ( on LED filaments), which are a kind of LED-lamps, the possibilities of decorating antique-style rooms have expanded. They fit perfectly into loft-style interiors with industrial design of the early 20th century. A distinctive feature of the filament lamp was the replacement of the usual set of optical semiconductors with LED filaments, which have a large scattering angle. The glass bulb of the light bulb is filled with a gas mixture, and the electronics with the driver are placed in the base. There is no radiator cooling usual for LED lamps. Such a light source during operation is outwardly difficult to distinguish from a conventional incandescent lamp.


Comparison of power and luminous flux

The table below shows the energy efficiency of different types of lamps that give the same light output. As can be seen from the comparison of power consumption, incandescent lamps are the most "gluttonous", and LED - the most practical. For example, a 12-15 W LED lamp gives as much light as a 29 W fluorescent, 72 W halogen or incandescent lamp. And given the long service life of LED lamps, which is many times superior to other types of light sources, the benefits of buying LED lamps become obvious. Despite their high cost, LED lamps quickly pay off with their cost-effectiveness in operation.

Conclusions and recommendations

Conventional incandescent lamps make sense to use for lighting only in two cases. The first case is if you do not receive electricity bills. The second case is if the light bulbs are used occasionally and for a short time. This is the lighting of basements, cellars, garages and other premises where fate brings for a short time. Regardless of the power of the lamps, such operation will not significantly affect the consumption of electricity and extend the life of the lamp.

Halogen lamps are bright luminaires resistant to voltage fluctuations, which provide a powerful omnidirectional beam of light over a long distance, are actively used in car headlights, in the film and photo industry, in stage lighting of theater and concert halls, in projection and printing technology. And such specificity suggests that these lamps are in high demand and should not be written off yet.

Fluorescent lamps, despite their shortcomings, are still actively used in state and public buildings, educational institutions, medical institutions. But the times when gas-discharge lamps were bought to illuminate apartments and houses have safely sunk into oblivion, and LED lamps have come to replace them.

The undisputed leader among modern household light sources are LED lamps with a long service life of 10 to 25 years. And the main reason for this is the high energy efficiency. Traditional products with a plastic bulb are produced in a wide power range from 3 to 50 W, which allows you to use one lamp of the desired rating instead of a whole set. Also on sale there are many products of this type of lamp for ceiling lighting. Retro " Edison Bulb " light source modifications are limited to a maximum output of 10 watts due to cooling difficulties. Advanced products have a dimming function that allows you to adjust the brightness of the lamps, actually increasing the lighting power.

Summing up the review, we note that of the available variety of types of lamps, models with semiconductor LEDs look the most attractive for home lighting.