How to Determine the Lumens You Will Need to Light a Room
The proper lighting is crucial to showing off the craftsman-level architecture and flawless interior design of any home. Not only does lighting illuminate areas you want to show off, but it’s also essential for safety and mobility within your home.
Let’s look at the measurement of lumens and what amount you will need to illuminate your home!
What Are Lumens?
According to the International System of Units, lumens measure luminous flux, which refers to how much light gives off per square foot.
For instance, a 100-lumen light bulb gives off enough light to illuminate an area of six feet, while 1000 lumens can reach up to 200 meters. The more lumens the lightbulb possesses, the more wattage it will need.
What Lumens are Best for Certain Rooms?
Certain rooms in your home will need various lumens to illuminate them properly. There are three types of illumination when it comes to homes.
Task Lighting
Task lighting refers to specific tasks that need enough light to properly finish the job at hand, such as office work, chopping vegetables, reading, or writing. This type of lighting usually requires at least 450 lumens.
Accent Lighting
This type of lighting is excellent for subtly showing off specific focal points of a room like a trophy case, photos, or artwork.
Ambient Lighting
This lighting sits on top of accent lighting as far as lumens go. Ambient lighting draws attention to specific areas in a given room, helping portray the overall ambiance.
Simple math is used to determine the correct amount of lumens for a given room. A bedroom will need around 20 lumens per square foot, while a bathroom or a kitchen will need over twice that.
For example, let’s say you’re determining how many lumens you will need to illuminate your bedroom that's 10 feet by 12 feet which is 120 square feet. For this space, you will need 1,000-2,000 lumens for the entirety.
Consider Natural Light First
Before you determine how many lumens you need or want, consider the amount of natural light you get in a given room, as the need for lumens may be less. If you want to illuminate these areas at night when the recedes, consider installing an automated lighting system.
SoCal Electrical & Lighting Has Your Lighting Solutions
When you have an issue with your electrical and lighting in your home or business, SoCal Electrical & Lighting will turn them into solutions!
Request an estimate online or give us a call at 760-699-2686 today!