Home Lighting - Light Bulb Labeling Changes

Thomas Edison's electric light bulb, that is, the incandescent light bulb, has been in existence for over one hundred years. In fact, the availability of electric light changed how residences and various other locations were illuminated in the United States and other parts of the world.

In the United States, watts has tended to be the unit of measurement printed on light bulb labels to represent how bright the bulb shines when lit. The label information that will be provided on light bulb packaging is being modified.

In 2011, the new labeling will state how bright the light bulb will shine when lit in units called lumens instead of watts, as recently disclosed by The Federal Trade Commission of the United States. Watts measure energy usage, and lumens measure brightness.

Consumers got an indication from the watts consumed by an incandescent light bulb of how bright the bulb would illuminate. As the wattage increased, so did the brightness of the light bulb.

Modern day energy efficient light bulbs provide more lumens while using less energy. This fact is exemplified by a typical 60 watt incandescent light bulb that provides 840 lumens. By comparison, an energy efficient compact fluorescent bulb that provides 60 more lumens than the typical aforementioned incandescent light bulb, that is, 900 lumens, consumes 47 fewer watts, or 13 watts.

Wattage consumption is decreased by using energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs even though they provide more light (lumens) when compared to a typical 60 watt incandescent light bulb. Wattage is not an accurate representation of how bright a bulb will illuminate. Light bulb brightness, as measured in lumens, is a better measure.

The wattage used by the bulb used to be one factor consumers looked for when shopping for light bulbs in the United States, prior to the availability of energy efficient lighting. Although watts is a well known term and the term lumens is less well known, it too will become a well known term with the pending changes to the labels on light bulb packages.

Times are indeed changing when it comes to lighting home interiors and exteriors. Not only is the package labeling changing to reflect a more accurate unit of bulb brightness, the aforementioned upcoming labeling changes also reflect the changes in the light bulb marketplace.

B.J. Smith enjoys writing about home light. He contributes informative articles about lighting for the home to lighting websites.