Warm vs. Cool Artificial Light

By Paul Ford, PE, MEP Division

Paul Ford, PE

Have you ever had to pick out a lightbulb at a store and be taken aback by all the options? There are the more obvious decisions to make – such as the bulb base type, brightness, and if the bulb is dimming compatible. However, one additional and sometimes overlooked attribute is the color light the bulb emits which are typically labeled with descriptions such as Warm, Cool, Soft White or Daylight. Believe it or not this may be the most important decision of them all, so what do these descriptions actually mean? Let’s dive in: The terms Soft White or Daylight for the typical consumer are easier to understand and visualize than having “2700K Color” printed on the box. The number 2700K represents a color temperature with Kelvin (K) as the unit.

If you dive into the technical specifications of a fixture you can discover that a fixture labeled as “Soft White” typically equates to a color temperature of 2700K and “Daylight” represents 5000K. These two values are the most typical color temperatures seen in the residential LED fixture market but it is certainly not the only color temperatures available. Refer to the below graphic for a representation of various light fixture color temperatures.

The next time you are in the store pondering over which box of light bulbs to buy, I hope that you now feel a little more prepared to make the big decision! Keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding lighting and if you ever want to learn more or want some residential lighting design advice feel free contact us!

Architecture, Engineering, and Land Surveying Northeast, PLLC (AES Northeast) is a full-service design firm with over 30 years’ experience, offering professional services for every phase of a project, from planning through construction.