Choosing a color temperature for your lighting project is akin to creating a space – you are impacting your environment with your selection. If you need some guidance, your dedicated Lighting of Tomorrow representative is here to help!
You have the fixture, you know the wattage and the lumens, you’re ready to go – right? Then comes the question...
What color temperature are you looking for?
Just white – right? As it turns out, there are a lot of different shades of "white" light. How can you be sure you’re picking the one that’s right for your project?
Recently, one of our new clients remarked, “Help! My condominium feels like a laboratory!” This client had purchased lighting from a company that did not take the time to discuss color temperature and now the client was unhappy with the result. When companies disregard this feature of LED lighting, or when a customer is unaware of their choices, the customer can be left with a lighting project that does not fulfill excellent standards.
Working out in the field and talking directly with clients about their lighting needs, we’ve come to realize that there are a lot of people who don’t know the difference between the various shades of white light. That's okay! We are here to help guide you with the knowledge of what color temperatures are best suited for your property.
We want you to avoid expensive mistakes before they happen, so let’s take a closer look at different types of “white” light:
What kind of project do you have?
Different light is best suited to different types of environments. You don’t want a condominium to feel like a lab, a lounge to feel like a jewelry store, or a show room to feel like a living room. The common denominator in all of these scenarios is: How do you want your space to feel?
White light comes in a spectrum from warm (2000k-3000k) to neutral (3100k-4500k) to cool (4600k-6500k). When lighting an office or work space, you want your employees to be alert, focused, and productive. Neutral white and cool white contain larger amounts of blue light which we know stimulates our attention. When lighting residential spaces like condominiums and home interiors, warm white has been proven to help people relax. It’s more on the yellow side of the spectrum, so warm white is softer on the eyes and the omission of blue light helps people sleep better at night. This is one reason why major cellphone brands include settings to omit blue light from cellphone displays after sunset. (Though it's also important for your health not to keep the screen so bright!)
Recent studies are finding significant links between blue light and our circadian rhythms. Omitting blue light from interior spaces is extremely important to our health and sleep cycles. A good rule to remember: commercial and industrial properties often prefer neutral and cool tones, but properties near housing should use lights in warm tones.
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