G’day, ladies! If you’ve ever walked down the lighting aisle and felt like you were staring at a wall of confusing numbers and fancy words, you’re not alone. Here at Discount Lighting and Fans, we get it—picking the right lights for your home shouldn’t need a degree in engineering. That’s why we’ve put together this no-fuss guide to help you figure out how many LED lumens you’ll need to keep your home looking bright and beautiful.
Step 1: Why Lumens Matter More Than Watts
Back in the day, we all used watts to figure out how bright a light was—like a 60-watt bulb for the lounge room and a 40-watt for the bedside lamp. But with LEDs, watts just tell you how much power they use, not how bright they’ll shine.
- Watts = Energy used
- Lumens = Brightness
For example, a 10-watt LED can give you the same brightness (about 800 lumens) as an old-school 60-watt bulb. So, we’re talkin’ bright lights with less power—kind of like swapping a V8 for a turbo four-cylinder that goes like stink!
Step 2: How Bright Does Each Room Need to Be?
Different rooms need different levels of brightness, measured in lux (fancy word for lumens per square metre). Here’s a quick cheat sheet:
- Living Room: 100–300 lux (enough to see the footy without squinting)
- Kitchen: 300–700 lux (so you don’t chop a finger off dicing veggies)
- Bathroom: 500–800 lux (for perfect makeup or shaving)
- Bedroom: 100–300 lux (enough to find the remote in the doona)
- Home Office: 400–700 lux (keep your eyes fresh for Zoom marathons)
Step 3: Measure Your Room—It’s Easy as!
Grab a tape measure and get the length and width of your room.
Multiply them together for the area.
Example: A 4m × 5m living room is 20 square metres.
Step 4: Do the Lumen Math—Don’t Stress, It’s Simple
Here’s the magic formula:
Total Lumens Needed = Room Area × Recommended Lux
Example: For a 20 sqm living room needing about 200 lux:
20 sqm × 200 lux = 4,000 lumens
That’s how bright your lights need to be—easy peasy!
Step 5: Don’t Forget the Extras!
- High Ceilings: Add 20% more lumens (light has further to travel).
- Dark Walls: Add 10–20% more lumens (they soak up light like a sponge).
- Light Walls: You can get away with 10% less (they bounce light around).
Step 6: Picking the Right LED Bulbs—No Worries!
Check the lumens rating on the LED packaging (no need to guess).
- Divide your total lumens needed by the lumens per bulb to see how many you’ll need.
- For example, if each bulb is 800 lumens, you’ll need about 5 bulbs to hit 4,000 lumens.
Quick Cheat Sheet for LED Lumens:
-
Ambient Lighting: 200–500 lumens per sqm (for that warm, cosy feel).
- Task Lighting: 500–1,000 lumens per sqm (like for kitchen benches).
- Accent Lighting: 100–200 lumens per sqm (for showing off your fav bits).
Brighten Up with Discount Lighting and Fans!
Need a hand picking the right LEDs?
No worries!
Pop into one of our stores in Warana or Morayfield or check out our online shop at www.discountlightingandfans.com.au.
We’ve got a cracking range of LEDs to suit every room and style—plus, our team’s always keen for a chat to help you find the perfect lights.
So go on, give your home a glow-up without blowing the budget!
