The following should answer some common questions about our bulbs.
What is Colour Temperature (Degrees Kelvin °K)?
This is one of the most important aspects of the bulb – you are afterall looking for a bulb that simulated daylight. Colour Temperature refers to the colour variation of the light (the colour of the light) and is measured in degrees Kelvin. In lighting this scale ranges from the flame of a candle at around 2,000°K to deep blue sky at around 10,000 Kelvin. In simple terms the colour a bulb emits is “warmer” (red/yellow) at low temperatures and “colder” (blue) at high temperatures and white (daylight) in the middle. For a bulb or tube to be classified as “daylight” it will have a colour temperature of between 4,000 Kelvin and 7,000 Kelvin. It is commonly accepted that a colour temp of 5,000 Kelvin to 6,500 Kelvin gives the closest reproduction of natural sunlight. A standard bulb you would buy for everyday use is around 2,700 Kelvin. The iBoutique daylight bulbs are rated at 6,500 Kelvin.
What is Colour Rendering Index (CRI)?
This is how colours appear under a light source. Natural sunlight has a CRI of 100, this displays all colours perfectly. It is best to have an artificial light source with a CRI of 80 or more for task lighting. The iBoutique daylight bulbs are rated at 85 CRI.
What are Lumens?
Lumens (lm) are the measurement of the total amount of “visible” light from the bulb. The higher the number of lumens the more the light output. The amount of lumens emitted by a light source (bulb) is determined by the wattage of the bulb and the lighting technology used. Lumens represents the true brightness of a light bulb and NOT the wattage of a bulb. The light from an incandescent bulb is produced by an electrical charge in the metal filament inside the bulb. This produces both light and a lot of heat. Fluorescent bulbs are more efficient as their light source does not rely on the heating of a filament. Therefore these bulbs low energy. The light from a fluorescent bulb or tube is produced from a series of reactions between different elements, primarily phosphor. A traditional incandescent bulb provides around 10 lumens per watt. therefore a 100 watt bulb will give between 1,000 Lumens. A compact flourescent bulb provides between 40 to 70 Lumens per watt. The iBoutique daylight bulbs are rated at 30W but are the equivalent to a 150W traditional incandescent bulb (i.e. consume only about 20% of the energy).
What are the fittings of the bulbs?
The standard light bulb fitting which you use in lamps in the UK is Bayonet. It is usually referred to however as B22 or BC. We also supply an Edison Screw variety. It is usually referred to as ES or E27.