Garage-and-Storage

Tips for Replacing Garage Light Bulbs with LEDs

March 29, 2022 Article

Garages are often musty, wet, gloomy, and out of date areas. This isn’t their fault. Many garage areas were built when automobiles were smaller (and presumably before the concept of a “man cave” existed).

Replacing your garage’s light bulbs with LEDs is one way to alter it. LED lighting is the wave of the future. They stay longer, are brighter, and provide the most bang for your dollars.
Here are some simple methods to improve the lighting in your garage:

Understanding Lumens and Wattage
When you get your head stuck in the world of lightbulbs, you’ll rapidly discover that you’re speaking a language of lumens and watts. One advice for updating your garage lights is to overlook wattage for the time being and instead concentrate on lumens. Lumens are a measure of brightness, and if your garage is gloomy, you’ll want to brighten it up a lot.
The conversion of watts to lumens might be deceptive. Sometimes the equation does not add up. For example, some manufacturers may claim that a 9-watt LED can replace a 100-watt incandescent, but this will only provide 1,000 lumens when a 14-watt LED is required.

If all of that makes your head spin, follow these rules and concentrate on lumens.

Here are some wattage-to-lumen conversion guidelines:

If you want to replace a 100-watt incandescent light in your garage, choose an LED bulb with 1,500 to 1,600 lumens.
As an example, suppose your garage light bulb is 75 watts. Replace it with an LED light bulb that emits at least 1,100 lumens.
Does your garage light bulb only have a wattage of approximately 60? Reduce the brightness and seek for an LED that is approximately 800.
Understanding Kelvin Temperatures
When updating your garage to LEDs, another phrase to learn is “kelvins.” The colour temperature of your light is measured in Kelvins. This is vital to remember when equipping your garage with LEDs since you’ll need a lot of strong light while working on tasks. Incandescent lights are noted for their gentle golden tone, which is often insufficient for a garage.

A strong blue-white light will be produced by a temperature range of 4600k to 6500k. The blue-white colour scheme is ideal for workstations and is most likely what you’ll need for your garage. The 2000k to 3000k range will give you a soft white, more yellowish colour. Most individuals prefer softer lighting in calm interior environments such as bedrooms or living rooms.

Consider LED Elements
Because your garage isn’t as well-insulated as the rest of your house, get LEDs that can withstand temperature changes. Unheated garages face freezing temperatures in the winter and scorching heat in the summer. Before replacing outdated bulbs in your garage, be sure to examine the temperature ranges that your LED can withstand.

You’ll save even more money if you use light timers and dimmers in addition to using energy-efficient LEDs. When you are not using your lights, timers will turn them off automatically. Dimmers reduce the brightness of the light. Both can help you save energy and money on your next power bill. While dimmers should not be used in a garage, timers should be included since you will not be in your garage all of the time.

You may also purchase smart lamps. These LED smart lights will link to your smartphone and can be managed by a smart home device like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Because you can programme your LED lights, smart bulbs can replace timers.

Why Should You Make the Change?
LEDs are popular for a reason: they are very energy efficient and will save you money in the long run. An incandescent light bulb is less costly to purchase but more expensive to operate—the polar opposite of an LED light bulb. LEDs are up to 80% more energy efficient and squander just approximately 5% of the heat they generate.

Lighting accounts for 15% of a typical home’s power use, according to the US Department of Energy. LED lighting will save an average American family roughly $225 in energy bills each year. Not only is it a simple approach to save money on your utilities, but it also amounts to a several hundred dollars in savings!

Furthermore, LEDs may live up to 25 times longer than ordinary incandescent lights. While the initial cost may be somewhat more than that of a standard incandescent bulb, you will have that LED for much longer and save more money in the long run.