More and more people are switching to LED infrastructure because of its benefits. LED or Light-emitting Diode is a semiconductor that emits light when some form of electricity passes to it. Almost every person who uses modern devices is exposed to LED, as these are found on displays, lamps, accessories, and more. It’s not surprising to see a lot of people are replacing their old parking lights with LEDs. But first, should you consider the lumens or the wattage?
Why switch to LED parking lot lights?
There’s a lot of reasons why people are switching over to LED lights. Whether it’s for LED parking lot lights or for home usage, there’s a lot of considerable benefits of replacing your current lighting setup.
- Longer life span than alternatives
- At least 70% more power-efficient than other options
- Produces more light and cover more areas
- Low heat
- Wider area coverage
The difference between watts and lumens
Watt and lumens are both used to describe two different things about the capabilities of parking lot lights. Both are important factors in choosing the right LED product for you. Watts, in an LED product, describes the wattage needed to use the product in the intended task. In other words, wattage describes the amount of electricity consumed by a device.
For example, if a lightbulb is deemed as a 60 watt light bulb, it consumes electricity at a certain amount of time. Two light bulbs can be rated the same 60 watts but might have one bulb brighter due to the design used.
On the other hand, a Lumen is a unit which describes the brightness of the device, or its output. It doesn’t matter if the device is a 60-watt bulb or a 100-watt bulb. If both bulbs are rated 1,500 lumens, both have the same brightness and area covered.
Ideally, the product that can provide the highest lumens in lower wattage is better, as it can emit bright light without sucking up a lot of electricity. However, to have a high light output, a higher wattage is typically consumed. If you’re wondering how bright lumens are without equipment, a bulb for path lights will be about 100-200 lumens while an LED parking lot lights are about 20,000 lumens.
The final verdict
If you’re looking for the optimal output while knowing what to expect of your device, lumen output is what matters. Watt is now only a secondary factor, as LED lights usually have an energy-efficient design. A 60-watt fluorescent lamp or an incandescent bulb will have higher wattage but lower lumen output. Besides, always check if the parking lights have a dimmer, just in case you need lower brightness in your area, and the default lumen output of the device is overkill. Even that option is more important than the wattage of the bulb.
