Lumen is a measurement of the amount of light you are producing from a light source. Normally we look at watts to determine the brightness of a bulb and now that everyone is switching to LED’s (light emitting diode) it is no longer appropriate. When looking to purchase LED’s it is important to look at the amount of lumens the LED produces to determine the amount of light required. LED’s require much less energy, or watts, to provide proper lighting. To give some idea of the amount of lumens produced by different light sources a candle produces about 13 lumens. A 60 watt incandescent light bulb produces approximately 800 lumens. A 100 watt incandescent light bulbs produces approximately 1600 lumens.
A watt is a unit of measurement of energy. An LED requirement of energy compared to a typical 60 watt incandescent light bulb is only about 8-10 watts. The energy saving is almost 80%! The output of light or lumens is almost the same.
When I am designing a landscape lighting system I am always thinking of the amount of light required to light different areas or objects. I am thinking in terms of lumens for effect and not watts. A few examples are: 
200 -300 lumens for path or area lights.
500- 600 lumens for up lighting small trees, wall, or objects.
Leanr Landscape lighting is soft lighting meant to illuminate your landscape and property in a visually pleasing manor. Beauty, security, and safety are my primary interests when designing your lighting. In outdoor lighting there are different levels of lighting depending upon the space being lit. Installing spot lights and lights that provide glare are a no-no. Too much light, or lumens, and you lose color and texture. In a good quality design you never see the light bulb or LED, you never see hot spots, and glare.
At Rain Rich, we choose lumens very carefully – not too little and certainly not too much. We choose the proper temperature that LED’s provide. Temperature is the color that the light delivers. That’s a topic for another article. To learn more about Rain Rich landscape lighting please visit our website at www.rainrich.com. Rain Rich provides professional lighting design, installation, and service on Long Island. We also service existing landscape lighting systems installed by others. If you are interested in a free estimate or have questions please click here. Or you can call us at 631-423-2211.
