HOUSTON – Today is National LED Light Day, and what better time to think about bringing more light into your home and picking a light bulb that sets the right tone for your space.
Kathryn Emery, home improvement & lifestyle expert, showed us great tips for choosing light bulbs that will help create the perfect atmosphere.
You can watch Emery’s complete interview in the video below.
According to Emery, the first thing to do is understand two concepts that are important when selecting a light bulb: Lumens and Kelvins. Lumens measures brightness and Kelvin refers to the light color temperature.
“Also, think about what you will be doing in the room – how bright do you want it? For example, 800 lumens is a 60 W bulb. Afterwards, consider the color temperature of the light. Do you want an invigorating blue tint or a calming yellow? Kelvins are a scale for the color of light, the higher the number the cooler (bluer) the light will appear,” she explained.
These are her picks to enhance the light in every room of your home.
DAYLIGHT (5,000 Kelvins)
You need the most invigorating light in the kitchen, bathroom, garage and laundry rooms. Where you’ll be applying makeup you also want high Kelvins.
BRIGHT WHITE (4000 Kelvins)
“Recommended for dining rooms and home offices. It gives it a whiter, energetic feel,” she said.
SOFT WHITE (2700 Kelvins)
“Provides ambiance for bedrooms and living rooms where people are more relaxed. It’s that traditional warm hue, nice yellowish cozy glow,” said Emery.
SMART COLOR BULBS
“For a modern approach that will make your life simpler, you can switch between brightness and kelvins all in one bulb, no hub required. The GE Smart color bulbs are great for multi-functional rooms like a dining room, that’s also a home office and virtual classroom,” said Emery, who also explained the benefits of using LED lights.
“ LED lights can save us money on our energy bills; about $6 a year per bulb, they last longer, and are better for the environment than traditional incandescent and halogen bulbs,” said Emery, who showed us some of her favorite new technology built into LED lights that can work in your home.
“The LED+ bulbs by GE allows you to get more out of your lights. The LED+ Speaker bulb connects to your phone, tablet or TV with Bluetooth that allows sound to stream from your light source. The LED+ Battery Backup gives you more power during power outages. It has 5 hours of battery powered life and automatically recharges when the electricity is on; you can even take it off and use it as a flashlight,” said Emery.
For more information, or to connect with Emery, click here.