Warm light is best for the eyes. This includes filtered natural light and light produced by incandescent and LED light bulbs. UV light, such as that produced by the sun and florescent tube lighting, can damage the eyes without proper protection.

No matter what your personal lamp style, experts say that halogen and fluorescent bulbs generally do a better job of illuminating reading material than normal incandescent bulbs. Halogen bulbs produce a whiter light that is perfect for reading and the sharp white light ensures good page illumination.

Nope, wattage is wattage. If your room light uses more watts then a table lamp, the room light will use more electricity. If the table lamp uses more than the room lighting, the table lamp will use more electricity. Watts are the unit of power we use to compare energy from various sources.

Daylight (5,000 to 6,500 Kelvin) has a more bluish tone. This light color will maximize contrast for colors, making it ideal for working, reading or applying makeup.

Traditional incandescent bulbs are fine, but many people are looking for a more energy efficient option. Luckily, “warm light” CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) are okay for your eyes, as well as being much more efficient. They do emit UV rays, but a much smaller amount. You can also use LED bulbs or halogens.

LEDs: Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs have become viable options for bathroom lighting. Like the others, a CRI of 90 or above and color temperature of 2700K to 3000K are recommended.

While cool white look great in modern kitchens and where the brighter the better, warm white works much better where you are looking for softer light. It’s particularly well suited to lounges, living rooms and traditional kitchen, like country styles, where the white light contrasts too much with the rest of the room.

Light Intensity As a rough guideline, bulbs labeled “daylight,” which generally have a color temperature of 5000K to 6500K, or bulbs labeled “cool white” or “bright white,” with a color temperature of 3500K to 4100K are best for the bathroom.

Bathroom Lighting Should be Bright Enough Just Like the Daylight. It is important to remember that bathroom lighting should at least be 500 to 600 lumens to mimic the daylight.

Lumens: Ambient lighting for a living room should be 1,500-3,000 lumens. Task lighting for reading should be a minimum of 400 lumens.

Daylight bulbs are usually 4600K to 6500K, meaning they are brighter and appear more white. On the other hand, soft white bulbs are around 2700K to 3000K, giving out more warm, yellow tones. Both kinds of lights will work in living rooms.

Bright white/cool white (4100 Kelvins): Best in kitchens, bathrooms or garages; giving rooms a whiter, more energetic feel. Daylight (5000-6000 Kelvins): Best in bathrooms, kitchens and basements; good for reading, intricate projects, or applying makeup—provides the greatest contrast among colors.

Halogen bulbs

Bathroom – Unlike the bedrooms, CFLs and LEDs with color temperatures in the bright-white to daylight range (5000K – 6500K) are ideal for true color accuracy and clarity. Soft-white, dimmable LEDs in the 2700K – 3000K range are optimal bulbs for this setting.

Color temperature (in Kelvin): The best type of color temperature for a bathroom is Cool White/Bright White or Daylight. Most light bulb packages describe bulbs as Soft White (2700K-3000K), Cool White/Bright White (3500K – 4100K) and Daylight (5000K-6500K).

Basically, if you situate lights inside designated ‘zones’ in a bathroom, the fittings need to have an IP rating (explained below). But outside those zones then any standard lights are fine to use.