{"id":3800,"date":"2023-05-17T09:55:08","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T13:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/newjersey\/resources\/buying-led-bulbs-what-to-look-for-2\/"},"modified":"2023-05-17T09:55:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T13:55:08","slug":"buying-led-bulbs-what-to-look-for-2","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/newjersey\/resources\/buying-led-bulbs-what-to-look-for-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying LED bulbs: What to look for"},"featured_media":47663,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[163],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"resource_type":[90],"region_tax":[],"state":[2],"topic_tax":[133,135],"class_list":["post-3800","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[133,135],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":90,"event_type":false,"campaigns":163,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":135}},"subtitle":"","excerpt":"Inefficient light bulbs \u2013 like incandescents and fluorescents \u2013 are being phased out for LEDs. To get the right LED, you\u2019ll need to know how to pick the right brightness, color and bulb type for your home.","featured_image":47663,"caption_override":"","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":"","related_event":"","hide_hero_image":false,"location":"internal","external_link":{"publication_name":"","url":""},"file":null,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":[{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":3,"people":"103"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}},{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":15,"people":"112"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}}]},"helper_downloads":{"title":"Downloads","files":null},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"The lightbulb aisles in U.S. stores are about to look (slightly) different. In 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) <\/span>adopted energy efficiency requirements<\/span><\/a> that will all but ban incandescent and many fluorescent bulbs, and make LEDs (light-emitting diodes) the default option for most of us. That\u2019s great, because LEDs are <\/span>much, much more efficient<\/span><\/a> than incandescent and even fluorescent bulbs. In fact, the DOE estimates that if the U.S. fully adopted the most efficient LEDs, America could save the equivalent of <\/span>20% of all the electricity used in U.S. buildings in 2018<\/span><\/a>. Switching to LEDs means you\u2019ll use less energy and reduce your utility bills. It also means less need for fossil fuel power plants, reducing the damage to our <\/span>health<\/span><\/a> and environment.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBut LEDs are quite different from incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs \u2013 in most ways, far better \u2013\u00a0 but there are some things you need to know to enjoy their lighting benefits in addition to their energy and cost savings. From brightness to color, LEDs provide as much or more choice and control over your lighting as incandescents and fluorescents. There are even \u201csmart\u201d LEDs you can even control from your phone, adjusting color, brightness, schedules or even syncing them to music. Here are some tips to help you pick the right bulb.<\/span>\r\n

What are lumens? The brightness of the LED<\/span><\/h1>\r\nThe first metric to know about when buying LED bulbs is <\/span>lumens<\/b>. <\/span>Lumens<\/span><\/a> are a measurement of brightness (more lumens = higher brightness), and the first thing you should look for to decide if a given LED will meet your needs.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nLess-efficient bulbs, like incandescents and fluorescents, get brighter as they use more power (which is why we often describe the brightness of incandescent bulbs in watts, a unit of power).\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nLEDs, on the other hand, don\u2019t necessarily require more power to be brighter, so they are measured with lumens. Manufacturers are required to label LEDs with their brightness in lumens, so this should be easy to find on the box. Before buying an LED, take note of the wattage of the incandescent bulbs you\u2019re replacing, and think about whether you want the space to be lit more or less brightly.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe Department of Energy has compiled a rough guide of LED brightness and how it compares to incandescents based on watts:\u00a0<\/span>\r\n