Light Bulb Wattage

[kloofnek]

I have just bought a new lamp for the kitchen:
http://www.dunelm.com/product/addison-3-glass-decanter-cluster-1000050256?cmCategoryId=34182
One of the reviewers says "Website says 60watt candle bulbs but stickers say 10 watt which we couldn't find anywhere. We got LED candle bulbs,8watt,which were perfect!"
Yest looking at lamp info.it says:"1 x 10 watt (max) Small Edison Screw (SES) energy saving candle"..of course one would need three,as there are three shades on the lamp.
I am at a loss;does a 10 watt mean 60 watt in old terms?? I do not want Led as it gives off a cold light,prefer a softer warmer glow.
Can someone out there ,please,please advise me.

[LCDMAN]

To put it into some sort of perspective - Wattage is a rubbish way to categorize/measure light bulbs as it only shows how much power they consume, not how much light they create. When there was basically just 1 type of bulb - the filament or incandescent bulb - then you could compare them as, basically, more Watts consumed meant more light output - but not anymore.

This is not true with newer types of bulb however, as they transform electricity into light with varying efficiency, such that very efficient forms like LED can produce the same amount of light (measured in Lumens) using much less electrical power (Watts). Thus to sensibly compare light bulbs of varying types you need to look at the light output, not the energy consumed.

Also, different technologies (yes even LEDs) are available producing light of varying colour temperatures, across a far wider spectrum than incandescent bulbs ever could. Thus you will find options for "warm" whites and "cool" whites - typically 2700-3000 K (degrees Kelvin) and 5700-6300 K respectively. Incandescent bulbs were usually at the "warm" end of the spectrum, whereas flourescents were at the harsher "cooler " end & halogen bulbs somewhere in the middle (as a rough rule of thumb)

What you need to do is look at the criteria of the bulb you are replacing (light output and colour temperature) and match that - not just some arbitrary amount of electricity used.

I could complicate things a bit more by looking at CRI (colour rendition index) but maybe not the place....

Merry Xmas.

[bhg481]

What you must NOT do is exceed the stated wattage on each lamp if you decide to stick with tungsten because you don't like energy-saving bulbs. Watts generate heat and will wreck your light fitting if you use too "big" a bulb. With energy-saving bulbs you can use brighter lamps without exceeding the permitted wattage.

[mikey4444]

I have changed a few of my bulbs for LEDs recently, and I have been on a very short but sharp learning curve !

Wattage is meaningless when it comes to LEDS. Even in the olden days, when we all used filament bulbs it didn't really much, other than the power it took to work, not the quantity of light given out.

If you have experienced a "cold" light in the past from LEDs, its because you bought the wrong sort of LED. They come in a warm white, daylight, and a cold light, and even in lots of different colours.

Can I extol the virtues of LED Hut

http://www.ledhut.co.uk/?gclid=CPbr9rbMg8oCFYOfGwodvJ8J5w

They quite the best mail order service I have ever used. I ordered a bulb on the net from them on Sunday the 27th, and it arrived by Hermes Courier on Monday afternoon, and that is at this time of year....a remarkable service by any estimation !

If you look on the site, it very easy to make the right choice. But remember its not wattage that counts these days, its lumens !