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For most people, lighting is chosen according to wattage and to a lesser extent lumen output. This is because we have become comfortable with equating bulb wattage with brightness, and so naturally assume higher wattages mean more lumens and thus a brighter light. For boaters, this also once rang true. However, just as with anyone considering making the switch to LEDs, boaters are finding that the old ideas about wattages, lumens, and brightness no longer apply. In fact, now that LEDs are becoming so prolific as the incandescent bulb is slowly phased out of production, it's becoming apparent that for the most part, lumens and brightness are wholly misunderstood by the average boater. As a result, we all too often see boaters choosing new LED neonskyltar fixtures based on their lumen ratings and becoming discouraged because the result is less than effective.

When it comes to lighting, the lumen rating associated with a particular lamp is normally a measure the bulbs total lumen output. In this regard, lumen totals correlate somewhat roughly with wattage in regards to the perceived brightness of the bulb. High wattage equals and brighter bulb, and a higher lumen rating likewise relates to a brighter bulb. The caveat however, is that this does not relate to the actual lumens reaching a particular area. Traditional incandescent bulbs radiate light over their entire surface in 360 degrees. As a result, much of the light they produce does not actually reach the areas you wish it to. Additionally, reflectors and fixture housings designed to redirect and reflect some of this lost light back towards the target area are far less than efficient and actually absorb some of the bulbs light output. The result is that although a particular cabin light for example may produce 600 lumens, only thirty to seventy percent of those lumens are actually illuminating your table tops, workstation and the like.

For boaters, a more effective measure of a lights performance is illuminance, or, the actual amount of light that is reaching an area from the fixture. Rather than denote the amount of light being produced, illuminance shows us the foot candles of light reaching a square foot of area from a predetermined distance. So, if an overhead 25 watt halogen light produces 450 total lumens and 5 foot candles at 5 feet, then an overhead 4 watt LED neonskyltar light may outperform it even though it produces only 350 total lumens because it is producing 8 foot candles at 5 feet. Manufacturers are more and more frequently using the metric standard when applying illuminance ratings to fixtures, which is simply the equivalent of foot candles expressed as lux. When working with lux, the lighting industry usually averages lux as the equivalent of 10 foot candles.

For boaters seeking to upgrade to LEDs neonskyltar, illuminance is a more effective measure of lighting efficiency because of the unique characteristics of a boats design and the need to apply energy use as efficiently as possible. Since power supplies onboard are limited, avoiding lamps which have high lumen output but poor lux readings in favor of lamps which have higher lux readings but lower lumen output helps to make more efficient use of the energy spent on illumination. There is no benefit to be had from installing lamps with high wattages and total lumen output which waste much of their light through absorption or illuminating ceilings. At first this may seem counterintuitive for boaters who have normally tried to balance wattages against the highest lamp output possible, but when we start thinking in terms of not only energy efficient lighting, but LIGHTING efficiently, we begin to find that we can make serious inroads towards reducing the load on marine electrical systems represented by lighting.

One of the greatest benefits of boat LEDs is their low power requirements. LEDs can produce lumen output over twice that of incandescent bulbs, which gives them a natural edge in efficiency. However, because LEDs radiate light over a smaller range, 110-160 degrees versus an incandescent bulbs 360 degrees, going by lumen output alone leads some boaters make the mistake of assuming a single tiny 8 watt LED neonskyltar will be an ample replacement for a 40 watt halogen lighting sleeping quarters for example. The trouble arises when they install the LED and realize that while the area being illuminated by the LED is indeed as bright, if not brighter than when the halogen was in place, they find that the drop off in illumination outside the LEDs range is severe, and thus conclude the LED just isn't bright enough. In order to utilize LEDs onboard your boat effectively, it is necessary to put a little more thought into how illumination is being dispersed.