Q&A - Brighter Lights

Q: We need brighter reading lights, but many of our lamps have the highest wattage bulb they are rated for. Does this mean we need to replace our reading lights?

A: Maybe not. Traditional light fixtures had a wattage rating due to the heat the bulb put out. If you used a higher wattage bulb you created a fire risk.The newer LED bulbs put out a lot less heat, which reduces the fire risk. So, an 1100 lumen LED puts out similar light to a 75 watt bulb but does so with far less heat. This allows a 1600 lumen bulb (~100 watt equivalent) to be used in a lamp rated for a 75 watt bulb. This would generate the additional light you need, without replacing your reading lamps. Look for bulbs with a kelvin rating above 5,000 (cool white, daylight) which will also help when reading.