Advertising banner for stairwell lighting: left slogan, three circular feature icons, and Natural LED logo on the right.

Education + Resources, Lighting Design

How to Evaluate Light Sources

Electrical Contractor recently published an article I wrote about a simple methodology for evaluating light sources based on a basic series of questions:

• What is the distribution of the light? Distribution is measured in candelas (cd).
• How long does the lamp last? Service life is measured in hours.
• How much light does it produce? Light output is measured in lumens (Lm).
• How much electric power does the system require? Power is measured in watts (W).
• How efficient is it compared to others? Efficacy is measured in lumens per watt (LPW).
• What is the color appearance of the source? Color tone is measured in kelvins (K).
• How well does the source render colors? Color rendering is expressed on the color rendering index (CRI).

Check it out here.

Image courtesy of Peter Ngai.

author avatar
Craig DiLouie
Stairwell with bright ceiling light and overlaid message: 'Reliable lighting. Lower energy costs. Safer stairwells.' Natural LED badge at bottom, plus three circular feature icons at top.

Events

IES26: The Lighting Conference
CEDIA Expo / Commercial Integrator Expo
ArchLIGHT Summit
ALA Conference 2026
Click For More
Event hero banner for ArchLight Summit: two speakers on the left (Leni Schwendinger and Andrea Hartranft) with a purple gradient right side showing 'Two Keynotes No Substitutes' and a 'Save Your Seat' button.

Archives

Categories