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5 Things to Consider Before Buying Daylight Bulbs

5 Things to Consider Before Buying Daylight Bulbs
21 February 2023

With the evolution of lightbulbs, there is now a wide array you can choose from. One of the types of lighting that is available is daylight LED bulbs. There are a range of benefits of daylight lamps that you can take advantage of, such as reducing strain on the eyes caused by the light from screens and helping people with certain conditions. These daylight bulbs come in an array of shapes and strengths, so you can find the ideal one for you, and they can be used in both commercial and domestic settings.

What is a Daylight Bulb?

These bulbs provide natural light, which can appear as natural daylight in an indoor environment. They usually have a colour temperature between 5500°K and 6500°K, and they can be fluorescent, LED light bulbs. 5500°K daylight bulbs offer light that is a bit warmer than 6500°K daylight bulbs, whilst still providing light that mimics daylight.

5 Things to Consider: 

1) Make sure you NEED daylight bulbs
 Putting a bulb in a roof light

Whilst daylight bulbs have a variety of benefits, they are not for every environment or everyone. Having a daylight bulb in your lamp is a matter of personal preference.

As the body is naturally more accustomed to warmer light colours, many people find the 6500°K daylight bulb too harsh or blue to relax with at the end of the day. Previous versions of artificial light have always had warmer tones, including incandescent lighting. Candles also give off warmer light when lit.

Despite this, some things require this cool light. For example, manufacturers, artists and photographers require this sort of lighting. Some tasks also need daylight bulbs, such as if the room does not receive sufficient lighting during daylight hours.

Also, daylight bulbs can be beneficial for people with certain conditions, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). These daylight bulbs can help people with SAD as the bulbs offer light that is similar to daylight. SAD therapy lights can also improve the levels of serotonin in the body.

2) Light Quality
 Person touching a bulb

When you use a 6500°K daylight bulb, the light will be approximately the same as daylight. All wavelengths in the visible spectrum can be found in natural daylight. If a daylight bulb doesn’t have all of these wavelengths, it has a low light quality. This means the light we can see off objects in this light can seem different, dull or distorted.

Colour Rendering Index (CRI) is how accurately a colour appears under a light. The closer the colour appears to its actual colour when light is shined upon it, the higher the CRI. The highest CRI value is 100. If a light has a low CRI, colours and objects beneath this light may not appear in the same way as they would in daylight.

6000°K LED bulbs and other daylight bulbs between 6000°K and 6500°K are available through Heamar, so you can find the one with the ideal CRI for your room.

3) Light Quantity
 One bulb lit and the others unlit

When establishing how a human perceives the pleasantness of light, it is the relationship between the colour temperature and the illuminating factor of the bulb that aids in this decision. When light with a high colour temperature is considered to be pleasant, the illuminating factor has to be higher too.

When measuring colour temperature, it is done in Kelvins (°K), whereas illuminance is measured in lux (lx). When you use a daylight bulb, it is suggested that an estimate of 500 lux is the minimum requirement for enough light to be produced.

4) Kelvin Scale
 Coloured bulbs on a wall

As previously mentioned, Kelvins are used to measure colour temperature, which is related to the Kelvin Colour Temperature Scale. The lowest colour temperature on this scale is 0°K, which is the equivalent of -273.15°C. This scale was invented by Lord Kelvin and is predominantly used in science. In specific situations, you can increase the colour importance of a light bulb.

Using the Kelvin scale, there are different types of lighting that you can use in a room. These are:

2700°K - 3300°K - For those wanting a warm white light, they need to get a light that has a colour temperature within this range. This type of lighting is most appropriate for bedrooms and living rooms and the light it provides is similar to that of halogen bulbs. It produces a warm, soft light.
3300°K - 5300°K - This is the colour temperature range you need if you are wanting a cool white light. This lighting is ideal for kitchens and studies, and it gives a neutral light to the room.
5300°K - 6500°K - For those wanting light that mimics daylight, you need between a 5300°K and a 6500°K colour temperature on the bulb. The daylight bulb colour temperature provides a light that is great for laundry rooms and bathrooms, and in some settings, it can appear sterile or harsh.
Due to the variety of colour temperatures available, you must find the right one for the room of your choosing.

5) Domestic or Commercial Use
 Pull switch bulb

When thinking about what lighting to use, you need to consider whether you are using it in a commercial or a domestic setting, as this will impact which lighting suits the room better. When LED lighting is designed and made, it is usually done with a range of uses in the manufacturer’s mind.

If a daylight bulb has a colour temperature of over 6000°K, they produce clinical lighting which is ideal for commercial use. This makes them perfect for use in laboratories, treatment rooms and operating rooms. Daylight lamps that are designed for commercial use have additional safety regulations in place. Examples of commercial lighting include daylight task lamps and healthcare daylight lamps.

Whether you want to use them for commercial or domestic purposes, there are plenty of daylight bulbs that you can choose from to suit your environment. Heamar have numerous daylight lighting options available so you can find the size, shape, colour temperature and illuminating factor you need.

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