To ask you all for help in changing a lightbulb?

[BadBadBeans]

I cannot get the lightbulbs right in my house! Each room has a single pendant light fitting that takes one bulb. We have energy saving LEDs - just ordinary ones from Homebase - and the light from them is dull and orange and makes me feel like I'm in some kind of terrible grimy back room in a bar! I tried getting a daylight bulb and that was worse - so harsh and artificial! What trick am I missing? What wattage should I be looking for? Or do I just need lots more lighting? Please help!!!

Rule of thumb is multiply wattage by 10 and you will get the old one so 3w will be like the old 30w.
Lumins make a difference as does colour.
I have warm white 6w in main areas then tone it down to 4w for a softer light for atmosphere where to actually see to read or work is not required.

Energy bulbs are dull!

You need to up the Wattage if you want brighter lights ours in the living room are rubbish. I feel your pain!

Thanks so much! I've just checked mine and it is a 5.5W in a small lounge so in theory should be okay, but I just find it so dull! Maybe I need a chandelier type light with more bulbs, or just some lamps in here!

If you have a single overhead light, you need 150w (old style bulbs) at least in main rooms, 100w in small rooms, so if you work by the x10 ratio, then in LEDs that would be 15w or 10w. But remember wattage is the amount of electricity needed to run the bulb (1 unit of electricity is 1000w for 1 hour), it's lumens that measure the light output.

I get warm white bulbs too, but the truth is you will never get back what you had before. I'm still using the old bulbs in a couple of places while I still can.

I've had some success with Filament bulbs like these because at least the light comes out in all directions instead of like a spotlight.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B073JKM1YY?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I mean the type not the size. They come in higher watts

How many mumsnetters does it take to change a lightbulb.....

I bought Philips Hue lights when on offer - you can adjust the colours/warmth and dim by app or switch. No need for every room of the house as quite expensive but for main living room I love it.

Overhead lighting is always pretty grim. You need lamps.

We have 3 lamps in the living room and only use the main light if we need bright light for some reason.

I agree, get some table lamps as well. The lampshades on the central lights might need changing too, and don’t forget to dust them regularly.

Add lamps.Halogen bulbs are available from supermarkets and are brighter than led that I use in the stairwell.
I've not got the best eyesight and struggled when the bulbs changed but have eventually worked it out for this house.
Every room does have a lamp though to increase light where you want to read so the overhead light can go off in the evening.

You guys are brilliant. I knew it would be worth posting on here - don't know why I didn't think of it before! Thanks. I'll try a higher wattage bulb to begin with, then start investing in lamps. Thank you!

Definitely agree with lamps.
If you have a single light, and it is bright enough to light the room, then it is too bright to have in front of you when you are watching TV, reading, on your laptop, or whatever.
I need the light coming from behind me.
Very, very rarely put the overhead light on.

Warm white will appear "less bright" than something like cool white or daylight but the light will be harsher. Best bet is to go for something like the Auroa AONE or Phillips HUE smart lamps which are colour tuneable & dimmable 9W led is more than adequate for the average living room.

When DH and I eventually get round to redoing our forever home we're not going to bother with overhead lights in our lounge and the bedrooms. We never, ever turn them on! Hope you find something that works for you OP.

The technical term you are looking for is "CRI", over 80% is the best you can probably get, in an ideal word you'd want over 90%. Very often this isn't even advertised.

One piece of advice: do not by LED's online, unless they are a recognised lighting name brand like Philips, OSRAM etc. Anything else is likely to be junk that either won't look nice or want last long.

Actually your best bet is to buy a supermarket own brand.

(Those buying rules also apply to phone chargers, with the difference that (a) there are fewer recognisable and trusted brands and (b) the dodgy ones may burn down your house. I'd only buy from Ikea or a supermarket.)

Sorry, I think CRIs are just numbers rather than percentages. Still, 80 is the minimum to aim for.

LEDs have a range of colour temperatures. It sounds like you picked 2700k or 3000k and need something higher.

I agree with increasing the brightness, warm white colour temperature, and using lamps instead of ceiling lights. I only turn on main lights for a few minutes when I'm doing something that requires it, the rest of the time I have other local lights.

I went into a local independent lighting shop and told them exactly what I was looking for in terms of tone, brightness etc and they tested them out on a light board for me until I was happy with my choice. They cost a tenner each and should last for at least 15 years, up to 30. It was the kind of shop that sells chandeliers, wall lights, outdoor lights etc. Have you got one near you?

Forgot to say, they came with a manufacturer’s guarantee and if they go out before 15 years, they’ll be replaced with no cost to me.

How many mumsnetters does it take to change a lightbulb.....

100. 1 to change the lightbulb and 99 to ask why DH didn't change it as soon as it broke, and does he always leave the household maintenance to you, and shouldn't you LTB?

For brightness, try to buy your bulbs by Lumen output, which is the amount of light they give. Improvements in technology mean that Wattage figures constantly get out of date. There has long been a tendency for suppliers to recommend a slightly dimmer lamp as "equivalent" so they can exaggerate the electricity saving. LEDs have more light output per watt than older energy-saving lamps.

A medium room might need about 1200 lumen. A larger room might need about 1600 lumen. You may provide it with one central pendant or with two or more lamps. A bedside lamp may need around 350 lumen.

Globes, GLS and golfballs have a pearlescent glass cover that makes the light more diffuse and cuts glare.

Don't use spotlights if you want to illuminate a room. They are intended to illuminate a spot.

You can control room comfort with a combination of pendants, table and standard lamps.

Dimmers are tricky because technology keeps changing, and you need to buy lamps and dimmers that are compatible. Next time you need a replacement lamp, the tech may have changed. Many modern lamps are not dimmable. Lamps you bought a few years ago, or those on clearance, may be less efficient, and they also get dimmer with age.

For most household purposes "warm white" will be correct. You might want "daylight" if you are colour-matching for things that will be used outdoors. Major manufacturers like Osram and Phillips tend to be better at true colour.

Colour-changing lamps are God's way of telling you that you have too much money and are obsessed with gadgets.

BTW it is not true that LEDs cannot be as bright as filament lamps. I bought a case of 22W 100mm globe lamps, they are I think around 2500 lumens and the big globe reduces glare. Very suitable in an open shade in a public hall.

Not widely sold as nobody wants high-power bulbs these days.

100. 1 to change the lightbulb and 99 to ask why DH didn't change it as soon as it broke, and does he always leave the household maintenance to you, and shouldn't you LTB?

101. You forgot the one to say it's a FWP and you should be grateful for your lightbulbs.