Shopping for Light Bulbs: What to Look for

Light bulbs are getting more efficient. They use a lot less energy to give you the light you want.

Which means you pay lower energy bills.

Better light bulbs also mean a better way to shop.

You're probably used to buying light bulbs based on watts.  

But watts only tell you how much energy a bulb uses, not brightness.  

If you want to know how bright a bulb is, you need to think lumens.

The more lumens, the brighter the light – no matter the bulb.

A traditional bulb uses 60 watts to produce 800 lumens.  

But this bulb delivers 800 lumens using only 15 watts.

All these bulbs use different amounts of energy but produce the same amount of light.

How do you know which one to buy?

To help you decide, light bulb packages will have a Lighting Facts label.

It'll tell you a bulb's brightness, and an estimate of its energy cost and life span.

So the next time you shop for a light bulb, look for the lumens and the Lighting Facts label.  

It’s a bright idea.